After three and a half months as a work-in-progress, my top 10 of 2012 is finally done. Turns out I can talk endlessly about stuff I hate. Hey, shut up, it’s still relevant, damn it!

This year didn’t quite live up to 2011, so this list wasn’t as hard to make as last year, but there was still some pretty good stuff.

Walls of text inc

Note 1: Anime on this list are those that finished in 2012. That means that anime that have not finished airing yet were not considered for this list; conversely, anime that began in 2011 and finished this year are fair game.

Note 2: While I will avoid significant spoilers, it’s pretty difficult to review a show in any detail without revealing something. If you’re the type that’s afraid to watch commercials or read the back cover for fear of spoilers, you may consider skipping over entries you haven’t seen. If I do plan to spoil huge things, I will leave huge tags. You’ve been warned.

Note 3: There will be no sequels on this list.

Decent Tier

10. Binbougami-ga!

• Studio: Sunrise
• Length: 13 episodes

With a somewhat lackluster description, I almost forgot about this show entirely. It wasn’t until I was thumbing through releases a week after the summer season started that I found it, and with little better to do, I tried the first episode. It was admittedly better than I thought, and I quickly suggested it as additional fodder for the weekend meetings.

What immediately captures the viewer’s attention is the main character, Sakura Ichiko. Deviating from both character archetype and seiyuu typecasting, Ichiko is a beautiful, intelligent, rich girl—but instead of struggling with the pressure and isolation like most characters her type, she revels in it, fully understanding the jealousy and ideals that come with her status, and caring not one wit for them. Selfish, manipulative, petty, and unbelievably arrogant, it’s not surprising Ichiko didn’t exactly propel her show to the top of the sales charts—from many perspectives, it’s hard to like her. Primary character #2, the misfortune goddess Momiji, doesn’t do much to help, being as equally seedy and petty as her counterpart. The only other major female character, Rindou Ranmaru, takes JJBA as inspiration, which should speak for her femininity. There’s very little to idolize about the female cast, and you probably wouldn’t want to date any of them.

Perhaps I’m becoming increasingly jaded with current trends in anime, but this clear deviation from the standard female character design is one of the main reasons this anime stuck out to me. Ichiko and Momiji are so refreshingly honest that they made this one of the funniest anime I saw this year. There were also some truly amazing references, but instead of being Nyaruko-style otaku fanservice, they were delightfully accessible and were funny of their own right, rather than deriving humor from power level alone.

Unfortunately, in an apparent bid for character development, Binbougami is infused with a hefty dose of drama, which is notably more generic and bitter than the comedy. Ichiko learns to be less of an asshole and how fulfilling true friendship can be, and while development isn’t such a bad thing, it should be approached differently in a comedy. This kind of gradual character-changing development is better suited for a slice-of-life or drama, where much of the enjoyment comes from seeing flawed characters become better, happier people. Not quite so in a comedy—a lot of the humor comes from character interaction, and when you change those characters, the nature of the comedy also changes, which isn’t really a good thing. Rather, “development” is better handled in this setting by revealing existing traits about the characters without changing them, which makes them feel more complex and adds material to keep the comedy fresh while retaining the defining features that make the comedy funny in the first place. Azumanga Daioh did this well— Seitokai no Ichizon and Binbougami less so. Perhaps it was trying to become more than a comedy, but I feel Binbougami would have been a stronger entry had it not done so.

My second gripe is that the supporting cast feels underdeveloped. Rather than actual characters, they feel more like props and plot devices. This does bring the relationship between Ichiko and Momiji to the front, but it also means that it is now largely up to these two characters to carry the real comedy. Keita’s purpose is to teach Ichiko the importance of family, while Ranmaru’s purpose is to teach her the importance of friendship, and because of that, these two characters have little true interaction with either Ichiko or Momiji. Instead, their relationships with the main cast are to hold “rehearsed” conversations that feel more like remedial lessons than actual dialogue. As such, they do not stand equally with the main cast. Characters like Bobby and Momou are even lower on the scale, used mostly for gags and convenience. This limits most of the substantial comedy to Ichiko and Momiji, as mentioned above, and with only two characters to draw from, it occasionally suffers from a lack of variety.

Still, Binbougami is certainly an above-average comedy, and I can safely recommend it to anyone. At only 13 episodes, it’s a light investment with good returns.

tl;dr version:

Pros:

• Refreshingly different characters
• Good, honest comedy

Cons:

• Too much unnecessary drama
• Weak supporting cast

9. AKB0048

• Studio: Satelight
• Length: 13 episodes

Idol anime seem to be on the rise as of late, led by the popular flagship series THE iDOLM@STER, and so I suppose it was inevitable that AKB48, Japan’s currently most popular idol group, would star in one themselves. Now, I care little for Idolmaster, and care even less for actual idols, so it didn’t seem likely I would enjoy AKB0048. Still, it was directed by mecha guru Kawamori Shouji, who also directed the successful Macross Frontier, so I decided to give it a shot.

Like Idolmaster, AKB0048 focuses heavily on friendship themes. This is something I tend to approach with skepticism, as it’s done often but done well notably less often. Perhaps it’s due in part to the reasonably well-integrated mecha subplot, but AKB0048 avoids becoming trivial and sugarcoated. Particularly among the successors, friendship is portrayed not only in their ability to stand and work together, but also to criticize each other, confide ugly secrets in each other, and grow together. Another plus of AKB0048 is that it is unafraid to show its viewers the darker side of the idol industry, which is especially surprising considering its initial impression as advertisement and publicity for the original idol group. Everything from frustrating lessons to hate mail to internal politics is covered to paint a realistic image of what it means to become an idol, and this further prevents AKB0048 from becoming a safe, forgettable anime like so many others.

While the successors are voiced by professional seiyuu, the 77th generation (the main cast) is voiced by actual members of AKB48 and its sister groups. This adds a nice layer of meta-anime for AKB48 fans (or just meta-anime fans in general), but they are after all idols and not voice actors, and many lines have awkward delivery (particularly Suzuko’s). This distinction becomes all the more apparent in light of the successors’ all-star voice cast ( AKB0048 certainly didn’t skimp there). Still, considering AKB0048 is a debut work for most of them, the voicing is adequate.

There are also some flaws regarding plot points and non-idol related issues. The DES (christened the “No Fun Allowed Police” by some fans) stand as the primary antagonists and raison d’être for AKB0048, but without a solid philosophy uniting them (other than “No Fun Allowed”), they feel underwhelming. Introducing a leader figure with real presence and motive (à la Britannia) could have helped, but as they are, the DES just feel like a device of convenience used as an excuse to introduce mecha into the show. The reason for their existence in the first place (the Entertainment Ban) is also a bit flimsy, as it is hard to believe a human government would ever impose a complete ban on any form of entertainment and expect it to help. Finally, the end of season 1 leaves a lot of plot points hanging, and not in the “oh man I can’t wait for season 2” way, but in the “oh yeah, they never really explained that bit, did they” way. It is of course understandable that the writers would avoid playing their whole hand in the first season, but the way they handled some of the major points (the identity of S4, the Center Nova position, the real purpose of the kirara, etc) make the first season feel incomplete. Even if a series is designed to be spread out over multiple seasons, I think each season should feel complete in its own regard.

Despite its shortcomings, AKB0048 is proof that even simple concepts can be enjoyable with good execution, and hopefully other anime (particularly idol anime to come) take a cue. I look forward to the 2nd season in Winter.

tl;dr version:

Pros:

• Good execution of simple themes
• Realistic portrayal of the idol industry
• High production quality
• Good integration of mecha aspects

Cons:

• Underdeveloped antagonists
• Not a self-contained season

8. Sukitte Ii na yo

• Studio: ZEXCS
• Length: 12 episodes

Ok, I’ll admit it. I watched this Christmas week because it looked popular and I didn’t watch enough good anime this year.

Now, josei might be “saving the industry,” but shoujo? High school romance with love-dovey handholding and two servings of drama? What’s in that that could be particularly compelling? Indeed, Sukitte Ii na yo brings little to the table you wouldn’t expect from a typical specimen of the genre. The main character is a sixteen-year old everygirl: not unattractive, but not beautiful, intelligent, but not top in the class, unlucky in friendship, unlucky in love, too honest for her own good, and like totally above the drama that plagues her more popular classmates—traits you might expect the average young female viewer to empathize with. And through some unlikely events, she ends up bagging Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Bishie, the most popular guy in the school.

This is the part where I make a joke about sparkly vampires just to assure you I usually don’t like this kind of premise, and that I eat steak and like rugby. This is the part where I declare that Sukitte Ii na yo is, in fact, a wonderfully executed example of a tired genre, shoujo done right, with all of the excess fat cut away so the characters and relationships shine through. This may be shoujo, but it proves that anything can be done well, and so this anime should not be shackled down by its classification and should instead be judged of its own accord. Despite its flaws, its relatable characters and clear theme make it worth the effort. This is why it comes in at #8.

This is what I would like to say. This is perhaps what I would have said if I had written this entry right after watching it, because this is what my notes tell me to say, albeit in a more convincing and elegant fashion. But that was December, and I’ve got something entirely different to say today.

Sukitte Ii na yo is shoujo. Not only that, it is not particularly exceptional shoujo. It’s probably not bad, and I’m sure there’s worse, but this is nothing special. The premise is old. The characters are predictable. The execution is average. The animation and soundtrack are adequate but forgettable. Whatever you thought of when I said “shoujo,” this show is probably something like that. No, the reason I liked this show is entirely subjective, and worse, circumstantial. If I had watched this show a year ago, or a year from now, maybe I wouldn’t have liked it as much.

As you are all undoubtedly aware, and perhaps even in mutual accordance with, I’m tired of modern anime characters and romance. I’m tired of unsocial, beta male leads who can’t even ask girls for the time. I’m tired of Sunohara who only ever adds comic relief except when he’s helping the MC patch up his relationship. I’m tired of emo gits who hate everything because their little sister is in the hospital. I’m tired of dojikko moe-moe girls with huge tits and family baggage. I’m tired of socially crippled tsunderes who always ruin their own chances at happiness. I’m tired of stupid comedy hijinks preventing the main relationship from ever progressing. But shoujo has the wonderfully, frustratingly stupid solution of switching everybody’s gender so now I’m stuck with a beta, angry female lead, her borderline retarded friend who occasionally punctuates her stupidity with unusually lucid relationship advice, and a bishounen with a troubled past who says all the right things. And instead of a bunch of drama leading up to a confession and relationship, we get a confession and relationship and all the drama that follows.

It must have worked, because instead of a viewer-injection-friendly misanthropic little girl, I saw a non-sexualized down-to-earth female with no annoying moe character traits. Instead of wish-fulfillment Japanese Gary Stu, I saw a guy that actively pursues what he wants without being an asshole about it. Instead of getting caught up in how much unlikely drama that comes out of their relationship, I was relieved that they had a relationship at all for most of the show. I saw a bunch of guys being unrealistically bro and talking their problems through while all of the girls just shit-talked all of the other girls and stabbed everyone in the back, and I was ok with that because I was so tired of seeing the opposite. I didn’t pay that much attention to how biased the character writing was, or how every single character literally had the exact same problem (right down to saying the exact same thing before their friends beat their Persona into the ground). I enjoyed this anime for the same reason new anime fans think Bleach is the best thing ever—I don’t have much experience with it and it came at a time when I needed something like it.

This is the paragraph where I state if it’s worth watching or not, but I am honestly not qualified to make a recommendation either way. This review in general was probably worthless for anyone who isn’t me, but it’s my top 10, so deal with it. If you like shoujo, go for it, I guess.

tl;dr version:

Pros:

• Wasn’t like everything else I’ve watched and hated

Cons:

• Probably pretty standard shoujo

Good Tier

7. Sword Art Online

• Studio: A-1 Pictures
• Length: 25 episodes

I was originally not going to watch this show, because I’m allergic to shounen, but I couldn’t pass it up considering just how much hype there was for it. I’ll admit I mostly watched this because I felt obligated to as an anime fan.

Due to its popularity, Sword Art Online receives an undeserved amount of both criticism and praise. Its criticism in particular is unfair; SAO has the unfortunate fate of being the “anime it’s cool to hate,” the show you are supposed to despise if you are a true fan with any taste at all. Last year it was Ano Hana, and the year before that it was K-ON!! and Angel Beats!. All bias aside (mine included), Sword Art Online is not a bad show. The animation and soundtrack, while not top-tier, are more than enough to keep the audience entertained during the flashier scenes. The writing is quite exceptional for shounen, surprisingly avoiding a lot of the cringe-worthy lines that plague its genre. It succeeds in being both entertaining and believable, and the writers do well to cover the finer points of MMO gameplay—something its predecessor .hack had some problems with. While the main character Kirito has been often labeled a Gary Stu, a label that does have some basis, I much prefer him to any of the other multitudes of naïve, maddeningly incompetent male leads of anime today. Much of the supporting cast is also surprisingly well-developed, even the characters that only appear for an episode or two, and prevent much of the show from feeling like filler. In essence, I was able to enjoy Sword Art Online for what it is, rather than hate it for what I feared it to be. It’s the third paragraph of the previous entry done straight.

I don’t think it would be a judicious use of time and space to complain about shounen the way I complained about anime in the previous entry, so I’ll point out the biggest flaw I saw in context of the show. The first half of Sword Art Online was excellent. The conflicting feelings of cooperation and mistrust from being trapped in a game with fatal consequences are conveyed well and add atmosphere. MMO mechanics are integrated well, adding a layer of enjoyment for fans of the genre without detracting from the other elements. Supporting characters and subplots are interesting, even if most of them ultimately have little bearing on the main story. And unlike most villains, the final boss is neither wishy-washy nor a crazed megalomaniac, and it feels more fitting to call him the antagonist instead. In contrast, the second half of Sword Art Online fell apart. Gone is the feeling of urgency, and the new MMO itself is largely an excuse to put Asuna in danger so Kirito can save her; little about the actual world and its players is explored. The supporting cast here is notably less interesting, and I especially did not appreciate the addition of the overused non-blood-related little sister with a brocon. Because of this, the dynamic between Kirito and Suguha ends up feeling mostly like pseudo-romantic tension, diluted by the fact that Kirito already has someone else. And to complete the contrast, the villain is considerably duller, being a random cookie-cutter insane guy with a god-complex, doing everything to make the viewers unconditionally hate him beyond any possible redemption. It’s hard to take much of this arc seriously.

Sword Art Online is a reminder that it’s good to watch something lighter and more mindless from time to time, and just enjoy something for what it is instead of peeling it apart like a literary onion in the name of good taste. I also know they’re not even close to running out of source material, so I expect a second season of this down the line. If nothing else, watch it so you know what everyone else is complaining about.

tl;dr version:

Pros:

• Good parts about shounen are done well
• MMO background makes for an interesting setting
• Well-written characters, for the most part

Cons:

• Bad parts of shounen are still there
• 2nd half is considerably less inspiring

6. Mirai Nikki

• Studio: Asread
• Length: 26 episodes

Spoiler Warning: I’m going to talk a bit about the ending. I’m not going to make a full-blown analysis as I did in the Madoka entry last year, but if you haven’t seen it, it will spoil some fairly important events. If you would rather find out how it ends on your own, consider skipping this entry.

I had heard this title floating around the internet for quite some time before the anime was announced, and when it was, it quickly became the show to watch that season along with Fate/Zero. I myself knew very little about the show, other than the female lead Gasai Yuno was the poster child of the yandere archetype. Since psychobitches seem to be my type (of anime character) and Gene said the ending was terrible, I went ahead and watched it.

Though Mirai Nikki is primarily about a survival game with twelve contestants possessing clairvoyant diaries, it could be argued with quite some validity that it is really about the main couple, Amano Yukiteru and Gasai Yuno. And when I say it’s about the main couple, I mean it’s really about Gasai Yuno. Yukiteru quickly falls into the beta male lead category I love so much, and stubbornly refuses to change for nearly the entire duration of the series. It appears that Yuno similarly falls into her character archetype of a single-minded, irrational, emotionally-unstable-beyond-all-redemption psychotic stalker of a “girlfriend” for the main character. And I guess that’s not all that inaccurate of a description. However, the writer had the decency to give her more character than that, and indeed, her reputation seems to betray her character’s depth. She is certainly unstable, but we also see her laugh, get angry, get embarrassed, and do all sorts of other things that seem to imply that she has the capacity to be a normal girl. She is definitely ax-crazy, but these other emotions seem to be equally real. Rather, she feels like a person who has been desensitized to violence to an extreme, such that her murderous tendencies actually coexist with the other parts of personality. She’s a girl who is desperately reaching out to the only strand of happiness she’s had in her life, who’s willing to repeat events indefinitely until she finds the secret to a happy ending even if she has to eliminate everything else in her way, and in that sense she bears some similarities to other time-loopers like Homura and Rintarou. That’s not to say her actions are justified, but they are understandable, at least. And in the end, she makes the final realization that she needs to let go of what she loves—a character development rare for her archetype. Considering she is a poster child yandere, she seems to transcend that an awful lot.

It is unfortunate that few other characters in the show hold the same level of complexity and development. The only other character that I would say holds a candle to Yuno is Minene, who similarly goes from a psychotic terrorist to a more conflicted person who doesn’t really want to do the things she feels she’s forced to do. Other characters, like Twelfth and Fourth, are interesting (or at least amusing), but are either not tied heavily enough to the plot or do not develop significantly enough to warrant great attention. I also didn’t particularly appreciate the use of “rape as backstory” not once, but twice. It’s really a cop-out, a cheap trick of employing shock and horror value to gather sympathy with little real effort or writing expertise. It’s a messy substitute catalyst for emotional investment. There are times where it can be effective, but it’s very circumstantial and is certainly used far too often nowadays.

Regarding the writing and plot themselves, Mirai Nikki undoubtedly has its problems. On one hand, it’s not hard to see the underlying themes the author is pushing, particularly those of helplessness and the pursuit of happiness. There’s a juxtaposition of the power each player holds—a diary that spells out its user’s fate, a fate that can change based on the user’s subsequent actions—and each player’s inability to control their future and achieve happiness despite that power. It’s a classical battle of fate and free will, and it carries a lesson that chasing human goals with more-than-human powers can lead to a loss. However, the way the plot is written comes off as somewhat erratic, and I feel like the author lost control of it, especially as it approached the ending episodes. This is an example of what I consider a “forced” story. It seems like the author had specific plot points and developments in mind before the overall plot was fleshed out well, and in an effort to include these at all costs, bent the story and characters to accommodate them. In essence, the author seems to have written the beginning and ending first, and somehow cobbled together the intermediate bits to make sure they worked. That’s not to say that having ideas before a story is bad—in fact, I think that’s a good place to start—but to create a believable story that’s both entertaining to readers and satisfying for the author, the setting and characters need to be carefully crafted in advance so they naturally fit the story’s skeleton and develop towards the ends the author wishes. Mirai Nikki struggles with this quite a bit. Some of the characters’ actions and developments contradict what we have been told about them, which seems to be due to the author realizing a little too late that the characters do not fit her agenda as they are, and trying to change them on the fly.

The ending itself seems to draw a lot of criticism. After 25 episodes of negativity, everything suddenly goes right in a massive karmic blast. First World Yuno finally realizes what she’s become and kills herself, and every single diary owner ends up living the happiest life ever in Third World. The only person who gets the shaft (besides Second World Yuno) is Second World Yukiteru, and even that ends up changing in the extended manga ending when Yuno ends up breaking through spacetime to find him and Deus declares them both the winner of the survival game. When I saw it, it felt like I had been cheated. A perfectly happy ending is rather jarring considering what I just sat through, and it really felt like the author just wanted to push for one no matter what kind of Deus Ex Machina she had to pull. Pun intended.

Time to play a little devil’s advocate. How much of my dissatisfaction is because the ending truly was poorly executed and how much of it is because I just don’t like happy endings? I didn’t do this little bit of meta-thinking until recently and now this question is something I should extend to a good portion of the anime fanbase. Happy endings always seem to get slammed; they’re cheap, they’re unrealistic, they’re the easy way out. It seems we always want to see suffering, because suffering is deep. Suffering is human. Suffering is biting social commentary and moral questioning. And then it’s not really about how the ending is written; if it’s happy, it’s stupid, end of story. I’m not trying to say happy endings are good, or that Mirai Nikki’s ending was good—objectively, it really did need some work. I’m not going to change my stance on all of the complaining I’ve done so far in this article, because I feel like most of that is from inexperienced or lazy writing. But maybe I really do need to step back and stop being so jaded and vindictive towards anime characters, at least. Always watching anime from a detached, clinical perspective really helps me decide what’s good and what’s bad, but there’s no denying that it also dilutes my enjoyment. Perhaps I’ll pick up a show next season I normally wouldn’t have and try going along for the ride, no English Ph.D pushing-my-glasses-upwards elitism attached.

Mirai Nikki’s writing seems to suggest a lack of experience on the author’s part, and it feels unprofessional more than once. It’s still entertaining, though, particularly the antics of Yuno, and that puts it here on this list.

tl;dr version:

Pros:

• Yuno
• Action is entertaining, if a little mindless
• First OP is quite good
• Happy ending

Cons:

• Most characters that aren’t Yuno
• Erratic and occasionally incoherent writing
• Happy ending

5. Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita

• Studio: AIC
• Length: 12 episodes

I didn’t even really know anything about this show until I watched that scene with the bread in the first episode. Then I knew I had to watch it.

Jinrui is certainly an unusual comedy in that it is funny without being light-hearted. Black comedy’s been done before in shows like Zetsubou-sensei and Detroit Metal City, but I’ve never seen one so undiluted as here. Biting satire is Jinrui’s game, and everything revolves around this central point. More than once, I was left both greatly amused and slightly horrified as Jinrui whimsically exposes some of mankind’s most embarrassing traits as it displays the graceless decline of our race. Nothing seems to be out of reach of Jinrui’s commentary, and topics of interest extend from Western mob life to the manga industry. Hey, black comedy doesn’t all need to be about rape and suicide.

Indeed, nothing is immune to Jinrui’s touch, not even itself. The characters are often little more than messengers, particularly the main character. “Watashi” is a very appropriate main character, intimately familiar with the ulterior motives and failings of her associates, yet largely indifferent to them. She continues to do her job with neither passion nor reluctance, casually offering dry commentary on the idiocy she sees around her. The supporting cast in turn is mostly there to be mocked, each representing some foolish quirk of human nature. There is nothing particularly defining or even consistent about the world she lives in which, like the cast, exists solely for her to observe. Even the art, unbelievably colorful and childish, serves to contrast with the real nature of the world. The anime itself is just a wrapper for the satire, and this proves to be a double-edged sword. When it works, the comedy hits hard, but when it misses, it really misses. The satire is erratic, and it occasionally went so off the diagonal that I seriously wondered what Jinrui was even about. Because none of the other elements of this show really exist of their own right, it is entirely up to the humor to carry it, and it is glaringly obviously when it fails.

Like Level E of last year, Jinrui is such an experimental comedy that it’s hard to decide whether it’s brilliant or just plain weird. Either way, it’s interesting and provocative, and I must respect it for that.

tl;dr version:

Pros:

• Unusual, refreshing take on comedy
• Some very amusing satire

Cons:

• Nothing exists separately of satire
• Very erratic story, if you could call it that
• Some painful misses on the humor’s part

Great Tier

4. Hyouka

• Studio: Kyoto Animation
• Length: 22 episodes

Kyoto Animation, so I’m contractually obligated to watch it.

I say that, but I have had a real love-hate relationship with them as of late. They’re responsible for some of the most amazing things I’ve seen, but I feel like they occasionally get lazy and ride success by releasing less-than-compelling shows. I still don’t know why K-ON! is so popular, and I didn’t really like Nichijou. Chuunibyou was mediocre, and I think Tamako Market is a disgrace.

That makes it all the more frustrating when we get shows like Hyouka, because they’re a testament to KyoAni’s potential. Hyouka is a light novel, of course, and so KyoAni is not responsible for the writing. However, it takes talent to produce adaptations well, and KyoAni has made some of the most flawless adaptations I’ve ever watched. There is an incredible amount of detail in the animation, with very few shortcuts and none of that “we’ll fix it in the Blu-Rays” nonsense many studios resort to (if I’m not mistaken, the amateur movie in episode 8 was the most expensive scene of all 2012 anime). Pacing is also something KyoAni excels at, something many other studios unfortunately stumble over. Scenes are never so short they fail to capture their purpose, yet never so long that they lose the audience’s attention. Themes are always presented clearly but not bluntly. Transitions are smooth and the viewer is given a steady stream of exposition and character development. Finally, there is this special something that Hyouka (and many of KyoAni’s earlier works) does with its visualizations that I can’t quite put my finger on, but it does wonders for the narrative. Certain lines and scenes are used together in a way that is able to transmit complex emotion on a level that other anime might not achieve with twice the screentime. I get a little frustrated when I can’t quite understand why I like something, but that’s what sublimity is, I suppose. Anime is first and foremost a visual medium and an art, and KyoAni does not forget this.

I’ll admit I was a little bored by the first twelve episodes or so, but in hindsight I think that’s because like many others, I was fooled by the premise. Like Gosick, the mysteries are the advertisement but not the real focus. The most common criticism I’ve seen for Hyouka is that the mysteries were a bit bland, and I also initially thought that their detachment from the characters and lack of gravity undermined the show. Hyouka is about its characters, however, and the mysteries serve not to entertain on their own but to offer unique opportunities of characterization that might not be possible otherwise. In short, they serve primarily as a lens. The four main characters of Hyouka have a wonderful dynamic, and none of them feel like cookie-cutter archetypes. And as a personal bias, I am eternally grateful that Hyouka kept an even gender ratio and never introduced a love triangle. That is seriously my least favorite romance trope, period, and I was able to enjoy the best the characters had to offer without having to deal with any of that high school jealousy bullshit.

The writing and technical execution work together to make Hyouka a stellar display of very ordinary life. Like Hanasaku Iroha of 2011, Hyouka perfectly captures the slice-of-life genre. This unfortunately makes it difficult for Hyouka to really stand out as a classic for the ages, but it does so much right and so little wrong that it’s impossible for me not to rate it highly. The leisurely pace definitely makes it hard to marathon multiple episodes in a single sitting, but stretched out over a month or two, I would absolutely recommend Hyouka to anyone.

tl;dr version:

Pros:

• Amazing technical execution
• Consistent pacing, if a tad slow
• Complex yet natural characterization
• KyoAni doing what it does best

Cons:

• Mysteries are, objectively, a bit dull
• Takes time to engage the viewer

3. Fate/Zero

• Studio: ufotable
• Length: 25 episodes

Yes, here it is. The show everyone is socially obligated to include. I don’t necessarily mean that in a sarcastic tone, however – this show did earn its spot.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way, first. This show looks good. Damn good. Yes, there are certainly more economical scenes with a lot of talking heads and dim lighting, but where it counts, Fate/Zero does not skimp on the yen. Action scenes and backdrops are given a disgusting amount of detail, and movement is generally very fluid. The soundtrack is appropriately suitable, displaying the heavy use of atmospheric orchestra, percussion, and electric guitar I’ve come to expect from Kajiura Yuki. There is little more to say about the technical execution—it speaks for itself.

The writing, as well, bears the hallmark clinical precision and weight of Urobuchi Gen. True to his style, he is never one to mince words, and he is quick to remind us that the characters he creates are his tools to use. Though they are carefully penned each with their own hopes, dreams, and insecurities, Urobuchi mercilessly stretches them past their human limitations, creating spectacular displays of both human pride and despair before cutting them down with neither sadism nor hesitation, their usefulness spent. It seems he holds a particular obsession with testing the boundaries of human nature, constantly bringing into question our ideals and flaws, and seeing just what we are (in)capable of when thrust into situations that defy our well-entrenched views on morality. As in Madoka, this extreme setting makes for some very interesting character behavior and interaction.

However, it’s not all good. Urobuchi’s writing style is sharp and unsettling, but it is occasionally somewhat monotone. Because Urobuchi treats his characters so brutally, the audience is somewhat withdrawn from them, and they become less and less human. His reputation also has a numbing effect, as it’s hard to empathize and attach to characters you know may be deftly hit by a bus and swept under the rug within the episode. Ironically, Caster brings up this exact point when he defines terror as “not a static one, but a dynamic one…it is the moment when hope turns to despair.” You only feel bad for losing a poker hand if you had a sizable bet on the table, and I feel Urobuchi is not quite so apt at tricking the viewers into calling his bets. As a result, watching Fate/Zero is a rather academic experience; I see few people actively dislike it, but I’ve also yet to see anyone really moved by it. The characters may be lamentable, but they are not sympathetic, and this prevents any real emotional investment.

Perhaps in a similar vein, the characters themselves seem to be at an evolutionary end. Few of them develop significantly over the course of Fate/Zero (the notable exceptions being Waver and Kirei, who also happen to be my favorite two characters). These are people who already have the refined answers and philosophies that drive them, and all that is left is to see if they can withstand Urobuchi’s world. Even as they face their end, few of them waver in their convictions. This was one of the big differences I saw between Fate/Zero and Madoka, and might be one of the reasons I thought the latter was more enjoyable.

I suppose that this is why Fate/Zero didn’t rank higher on the list. Despite its incredible visuals and pinpoint writing, it feels cold and isn’t very relatable. But few anime manage to accomplish even this, and I cannot really find it in me to fault it for being what it is, and it is certainly a step up from Fate/Stay Night. Characters aside, there is an excellent balance between high-intensity action and psychological chess play, and Fate/Zero is an entertaining watch no matter how you look at it.

tl;dr version:

Pros:

• Flawless animation
• Neither the dialogue nor the action is boring
• Clean, articulate writing
• Urobuchi Gen

Cons:

• Detached emotional experience
• Mostly static characters
• Maybe a little too dark, too often
• Urobuchi Gen

God Tier

2. Daily Lives of High School Boys

• Studio: Sunrise
• Length: 12 episodes

The way that Square Enix and Sunrise did a collaboration that was nothing like anything either company ever did…annoys me.

The way this show was nothing like what I expected annoys me.

The way this show seems low-budget despite its source annoys me.

The fact it still had an S-list voice cast annoys me.

The way that all of the male characters are bros yet totally uncool annoys me.

The way that all of the female characters are dull, violent, petty, and totally not cute annoys me.

The fact that I only remember like two songs from the soundtrack annoys me.

The way 4chan came up with that stupid theory that Ringo-chan doesn’t exist annoys me.

The way that it makes the same joke all the time annoys me.

The way that this show gets predictable annoys me.

The way that this is lampshaded because that’s the point annoys me.

The way that it was hilarious all the same annoys me.

The way that this show actually depicted a slice of life a real person might have annoys me.

The way that Literature Girl made me laugh in every skit she was in annoys me.

The way that we all awkwardly laughed at them doing the same shit we did annoys me.

The way that the characters were so great exactly because they were so terrible annoys me.

The way they pretended all of the characters developed and all the relationships came to fruition at the end before kicking us in the nuts and laughing at us annoys me.

The way it gave me a copy of its notes when I missed class annoys me.

The way it always brings canned coffee when it comes over annoys me.

The way it makes the same joke all the time annoys me.

tl;dr version:

Pros:

• Reversal of gender stereotypes was annoying
• Making fun of our daily lives was annoying
• Refreshingly terrible characters were annoying
• Great voice acting was annoying
• Literature Girl and Ringo-chan were annoying

Cons:

• Mediocre technical execution was annoying
• Predictability was annoying
• Same joke all the time was annoying

1. Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun

• Studio: Brain’s Base
• Length: 13 episodes

I have a terrible confession to make. I watched this show. I have been deceiving you all. I know this comes as a great shock, but I hope that we may one day move on from this betrayal.

First of all, yes, this is shoujo. Again. That means that some of the same bias from entry #8 also applies here, but that doesn’t mean Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun is on here for the same reason that Sukitte Ii na yo is. They are both wish fulfillment, in a sense, but for two completely different reasons.

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun is everything I ever wanted from a romantic comedy, but never knew I wanted until I watched this. I’ll explain that later, but I’m going to get the flaws out of the way first.

Probably the biggest problem I see in this show is how clumsily plot is handled. There are a number of seemingly significant plot points that appear to have no real bearing on the main story, particularly Yuzan and Haru’s family problems. That sounds like it should be important, but it’s so unrelated to the main romance that it feels like it’s just kinda shoehorned in there whenever it gets brought up. Ditto with Asako’s crush on Mitsuyoshi, which is hardly even beginning to be resolved by the end, and Sasayan’s role in all this. I assume that at least some of this must be covered in the manga, which I know the anime didn’t completely adapt, but considering this show doesn’t even have a planned second season yet like AKB0048, this is frustrating.

Luckily, the characters completely make up for this, particularly the main duo.

More than anything else, Shizuku and Haru are honest. Despite all of the communication and social problems the anime claims they have, they do a far better job communicating with each other than any high school couple I have ever personally seen. When they are angry, they say so. When they are worried, they say so. When they are jealous, or insecure, or feeling shut out of the relationship, they say so. And when they realize they love each other, they say so. In exercising the basic communication that everyone knows should be a staple of any healthy relationship yet never puts into practice for fear of embarrassment, they kick all of that obliviousness and misunderstanding nonsense to the curb. They really are new to socialization and love, and so they work through their problems together, all of their cards face up on the table. They are not afraid to make embarrassing declarations or constructively criticize each other. The same hairy complications that any other couple might take a half dozen episodes of perfectly timed misunderstanding and angst to resolve, Shizuku and Haru get through in one or two. In all of my anime viewing experience, I think this is the first time I have ever seen a relationship develop this way, and you have no idea how happy it made me.

My wish-fulfillment gravy train doesn’t stop there. Shizuku also has the title of being the first character I can remember that indulges in meta-thinking: thinking about her thinking. She applies the same debugging logic she uses in her studies and her relationship with her own thinking. When she is uncertain how to respond to a situation, she analyzes her own feelings and attempts to determine their root causes, and then tries to logically choose a solution that best addresses those causes. With this same technique, she is able to catch herself when she is being unreasonable or illogical. In doing so, she does almost nothing over the course of the anime that she later comes to regret. She is brutally honest with herself, never once subconsciously trying to avoid certain lines of thought for fear of her own failings. Instead, she seeks out those failings and tries to eliminate them at the source. This alone gets her a gold star in my book of brownie points, because it is exactly what I try to do myself. And obviously, I am going to enjoy watching a character that behaves like me.

Of course, there is something to be said for heat being necessary to temper steel. In all of the wonderful not-conflict that makes up Shizuku’s and Haru’s relationship, it does lack a certain gravity. There are no bitter, lonely times to contrast the happy times they spend together, which lessens the impact of the latter. There are many times when Shizuku and Haru (particularly Shizuku) take each other for granted, never really considering that the other might not be around (or available) forever. As much as I love this smooth, efficient approach, the lack of a genuinely taxing conflict makes their relationship somewhat superficial. I expect there is something to address this in the remaining source material, but as I’m rarely one to venture outside the anime adaptation of anything, I’ll just have to wait for a second season to see.

Now having had my eyes opened to what true romantic comedy should be, I can safely assert that I will probably not see anything else like it for a long time to come. Disappointment is my favorite dish. Such is life in Moscow.

Like last year, this spot represents not the objectively highest quality anime of the year, but the anime I enjoyed the most. While Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun is certainly not perfect and may not even make others’ Top 10, it was undoubtedly my most enjoyable watch of 2012.

tl;dr version:

Pros:

• Practically pandered to my life philosophy
• Some of the best characters I’ve seen
• Showcased the relationship everyone wants to have but never will
• Used solutions, not drama, for effect

Cons:

• Unresolved, seemingly vestigial plot points
• Relationship is a little too perfect

Hey, it’s 300 words shorter than last year. Now let me get back to my homework. Being Mines student is suffering.