Wednesday, January 15, 2014

The best animes of 2013

Wondering what animes are good and which ones you should just avoid from 2013? Well you've come to the right place. Though I'm late in posting this since we're already half way through January, it's only because a lot of thought and consideration was put into this list. The english might not be the best you've read, but the point of this is to tell you a numerical value with some reasoning behind it and most of you will probably skim this anyway.
Anyway, this year in anime was underwhelming compared to last year which had such blockbusters as Fate/Zero, Sakamichi no Apollon, and Nise/Nekomonogatari. That is not to say that this year was devoid of any good anime though because there were certainly great anime titles but nothing that immediately jumped out and screamed "best anime of 2013." 2013 was plagued by a great volume of mediocre titles with the occasional gems. It was also the year of ridiculously long titles for animes. I swear, every other anime I watched had a really long title and they all sucked. Luckily though, anime has not died just yet and hopefully this list will prove that to some degree. So without further ado, this year's categories are:

Best overall anime
Best animation
Best sound
Worst anime
Better than expected
Most anticipated

Top 5 best overall anime:

5. Gatchaman Crowds

Describing what makes Gatchaman Crowds so good is a bit tricky. It's upbeat, exciting, and features a simple story with a deeper meaning to it. It's the underlying message that this seemingly simple anime sends about reliance on social media and what kind of future that will lead us to that might make it so great. Of course Gatchaman Crowds also features great action scenes and growth of characters but it's the message it sends that will stay with you even after the anime is over. My only criticism of the anime is that the middle of it seemed to drag a bit, other than that it began and ended strong proving itself to be one of the best animes of 2013.


4. Kill la Kill

"The anime to save animes." Born from the same people who did FLCL and Gurren Lagann, Kill la Kill has been put on a high pedestal and for good reason. Kill la Kill takes a seemingly simplistic story and then throws some of the most unique and interesting characters along with exciting animation and an enticing soundtrack into the mix making it one of the most exciting animes of the season. Kill la Kill scores 3rd on this list though because though it does many things well, it doesn't do everything well. Kill la Kill consistently interrupts the flow of the anime to switch to side characters reacting or doing silly things. These interruptions are completely unnecessary and take a lot of wind from the anime's sails which is a shame because with all the momentum it has, it is probably one of the most engaging shows this year.


3. Shingeki no Kyojin

Shingeki no Kyojin is without doubt the most hyped up anime of this year. From its amazing soundtrack to its amazing animation it's undoubtedly one of the best this year. Though its pacing and plot were inconsistent and leaned towards mediocrity at times, it made up with great characters, action, animation, and of course the most iconic opening themes of any anime in most recent memory. For all of its flaws, Shingeki no Kyojin remains a strong and exciting experience leaving viewers hungry for more.


2. Chihayafuru 2

The surprisingly good show about a traditional Japanese card game is back for a second season and it is better than ever. Chihayafuru returns with the same high quality animation, sound, characters, and story telling and wastes no time getting straight into the more exciting part of the anime- the tournaments. By the third episode they've already entered their first tournament and had major character introductions and developments. The Karuta club is changing, maturing, and ultimately becoming stronger and the viewer is there every step of the way. Chihayafuru is a very engaging show that tells a story about teamwork, perseverance, and hard work much better than most shounen anime has ever done. Chihayafuru does something that is difficult for any anime to do, it makes you care about the characters. More than for the actual game of Karuta, you'll be watching this show to see how these characters come together and grow.


1．Monogatari season 2:

 When Nisemonogatari came out everyone expected another Bakemonogatari- a smash hit, great plot, better characters and dialogue. What happened though was the complete opposite, almost a step back from what made Bakemonogatari so great. Luckily, Shaft fixed that this year with Monogatari season 2. Incorporating 4 main stories, it touches on the lives of those that Araragi had once saved but unlike Bakemonogatari, not everything ends up neatly resolved. Where Bakemonogatari had our protagonist Araragi solve everything with the wisdom of Oshino and Araragi's self sacrifice and self righteousness, this time around Araragi learns that those same tricks won't work. The audience sees that Araragi isn't the traditional shounen protagonist panacea to the rest of the cast and instead causes more problems than he solves- ultimately being crushed by his own self-righteousness and ideals. While heavy on dialogue, Monogatari season 2 delivers an experience that greatly improves on everything that made Bakemonogatari so great. Every story that is told within the scope of this season is masterfully crafted and paced and is only further complemented by Shaft's great animation and the greater soundtrack. Monogatari season 2 is not just a masterpiece of a narrative but the greatest anime of this year. 


Honorable mention:

Kamisama no inai nichiyoubi

Kamisama no inai nichiyoubi has a great premise where god has abandoned the world thus denying humans normal death. What would normally kill humans doesn't leaving them in an almost immortal state. I say almost because even if they are dead, they can still function as humans and you would never be able to tell the difference. The only thing is that just as a zombie rots, the dead human will eventually deteriorate leaving them in a crazed, confused state reminscent of zombies. God is not so much of a dick to leave his creations without a present though, he leaves a mysterious existence called Gravediggers, whose sole purpose is to send the souls of the dead to heaven. Thus, the only way a person can die is with the assistance of a Gravedigger. The anime plays on themes of the morals of humans in life and death resulting in a very large gray area of human morality. Though it can be argued that the anime has a bit of a pacing problem that is especially evident during the middle arc, the end to each story as well as the overarching theme are very well done.
Kamisama no inai nichiyoubi also presents a beautifully drawn world which is complemented by fluid animation and a wonderful soundtrack. Viewers will be able to tell just how beautiful and desolate the world that once was brimming with life has become. More of this show would definitely not be anything short of a good thing.



Top 5 best animation
 
If there's anything that 2013 was great for, it was animation. For me, this was the most difficult category to do since there were a lot of great series with great animation.  But alas, there can only be 5, and these 5 are without doubt the best.

5. Kami-sama no inai nichiyoubi

As I previously mentioned, this anime takes place in a post-apocalyptic world that god has abandoned and it is beautiful. From beginning to end, the animators do a fantastic job showing what has become of this world. While maybe not stunning everybody with its story, it's undeniable that the anime is beautiful and immersive. As a result, viewers can fully comprehend the setting and what the characters are feeling which is something that is especially crucial for this anime. Kami-sama no inai nichiyoubi has very few scenes that don't cry polished and is overall a very beautiful series.


4. Monogatari season 2

Shaft is known for two things, good anime and good animation so it comes as no surprise that Monogatari season 2 comes out looking like an extremely polished product. While Shaft is known for its unique style often offering very stylistic, surreal settings there comes a point where you realize that they are basically doing the same thing over and over again. The same head turns are done at least once per episode and to the point where you think they might develop some kind of problem from the frequency that they tilt their heads. That being said, Shaft does maintain very high quality animation and though it's not doing anything new for the series, it is still without doubt a cut above the rest but not the best this season.



3. Kill la Kill

Animation studio Trigger does it again with Kill la Kill and creates a very stylistically and aesthetically pleasing masterpiece. Though it is simplistic in style, reminiscent of FLCL and Panty and Stocking, Kill la Kill takes advantage of that and exceeds in style, fluidity, and consistency that is unmatched by the bulk of anime that came out in 2013. Every scene from Kill la Kill always drips with life and fluidity making them a great spectacle. Most animes struggle to do animation like this consistently each episode but anime studio Trigger seems to do this with ease making each episode as chaotically fun and well animated as the last.

 

2. Kyoukai no Kanata

Kyoukai no Kanata might not have won too much in the story department but it definitely takes the cake with animation. Kyoto Animation proves time and time again that it is one of the best when it comes to animation as the action scenes in Kyoukai no Kanata are the best of this year. Fluidity, consistency, coherency, style- Kyoukai no Kanata scores an A on all of these and more. When the characters aren't fighting the demons that are encroaching on their town, it might not be as much a spectacle but the details that are put into each scene of the anime are impressive. Not only that but character motion in general is remarkable in this anime.


1. Shingeki no Kyojin

While not extremely strong in the plot department, Shingeki no Kyojin no doubt has the best animation of this season. Whether it was just still shots of characters, casual interactions, combat, or the amazing spectacle that was them using the 3-d maneuver gear, there were no moments where it did not feel like a high quality product. If there's anything that anyone who has watched Shingeki can agree on, it's that the animation was without doubt stunning, consistent, as well as one of the reasons to keep watching every week.The amount of detail and fluidity that is in one episode alone can easily outrank almost everything of 2013. For Shingeki no Kyojin, every episode was a masterpiece of animation that sets the new precedent for "the best."





Top 5 worst animes

This 2013 year I dropped a lot of animes which is rare for me who watches basically everything. There were just that many unbearable series this year. I personally feel like there are worse animes than the ones on this list, but I cannot pass judgment on something that I haven't finished so they've been left out. Just know that if they were bad enough for me to drop, they were pretty bad!

 5. Devil Survivor 2 the animation

Perhaps trying to match the success of Persona 4 the animation, Devil Survivor was released earlier this year and failed to capture the magic of the game from where it originates. Characters are highly underdeveloped and the story is told very poorly and paced. For an anime that is trying to reproduce the experience of a game that placed heavy emphasis on its character and story, it does not really do well at all. When a character dies, everyone in the anime is depressed, meanwhile the viewer who had all of 10 minutes to meet this character will feel nothing and confused why so much time is being focused on a side character. Not only that but the anime rushes through the story without much explanation and forces its way through some of the more emotional parts of the game leaving no lasting emotion for the characters or he world that they live in. Overall, the Devil Survivor 2 anime is not worth a watch, instead the game is much more entertaining.


4. Diabolik lovers

Diabolik lovers is proof that a star cast does not guarantee quality. Diabolik lovers focuses around a girl who goes to live in a mansion due to her father's change in work. The twist though is that the mansion is inhabited by 6 bachelor vampires who take it upon themselves to basically torture this girl for fun. Pushing her down, attacking her, chasing her around the mansion, trying to suck her blood, calling her degrading names- they do it all and what does she do? Nothing. She doesn't even try to resist, leave,  or do anything to improve her situation. Aside from the characters which are beyond horrible, the story itself is pretty horrible as well and basically incoherent. The anime doesn't know what it wants to do with itself and basically just falls back to the torturing of the girl while sloppily trying to bring up some semblance of a budding romance. I'm not even sure if the phrase "still a better love story than Twilight" can even apply to this anime.

3. Blazblue: Alter memory

The anime that was worse than anyone thought. We all knew it would be bad but not this bad. Blazblue is helmed by a new anime studio and this is their first work and it really shows. Action scenes are reduced to mostly flashes of light indicating clashing of weapons and still frames of characters up in each others faces. For an action anime that is pretty sad. This is not the only poorly produced part of Blazblue though, the character designs and overall animation are just horrible. Characters are inconsistently drawn and usually lean towards looking like the work of amateurs.
DAT ARAKUNE
2. Inu to hasami wa tsukaiyou

A story about a guy who loves books and randomly dies saving his favorite author, Wakamiya Shinobu, but instead of becoming a ghost or some other random entity, he becomes a dog. Thus his harem life begins...I kid you not. He is more popular as a dog than he was as a human. People come out and confess to him (they somehow figure out that he got reincarnated into a dog), fantasize about marrying him and some other R rated things. Trying to find a redeeming fact about this show is about as hard as finding humor in Watamote.

 It tries to be a mystery where the main characters are confronted by some kind of weird criminal that commits crimes according to either desires for the main character (who is a dog) or according to Shinobu's books. The mysteries are overall horrible, with the culprit nearly always being someone out of the 6 characters introduced. Each of their motives usually include some kind of feelings for the main character who is dead but somehow they know that he's been reincarnated into a dog.  Basically, it fails as a mystery because the culprits are always very obvious and their motives basically always the same. It fails as an anime because it lacks anything that a good anime should have-- good story, sound, animation, and characters. I genuinely cannot believe there is actually source material for this because that would mean that it was somehow popular enough to get an anime and even more, someone okayed its production.


1. Watashi ga motenai no wa dou kangaetemo omaera ga warui (Watamote)

I don't think I've watched an anime more awkward or poorly executed as this. Either the source material is just severely lacking or the team just did a poor job, either way it resulted in a comedy that is not even remotely funny and is an overall waste of time. The story of Kuroki Motoko is one that involves her trying to become popular and ultimately failing to do so because of her own inadequacies. The title roughly translates to "No matter how you think about it, the reason I'm not popular is your guys' fault." This is a very appropriate title since she blames her not being popular on everyone else rather than on herself. She keeps the same negative attitude the entire anime and when she does try to change herself she fails in the most awkward ways possible. This is presumably the part where the audience is supposed to laugh but her failures will not get any laughs, just blank stares and reassessments on ones life decisions. When thinking of the worst animes this year, it's impossible not to mention this anime. Let's hope that it never gets another season because this season was 12 episodes too long.



Dishonorable mention:


Senki Zesshou Symphogear G: In the Distance, That Day, When the Star Became Music... (Nymphogear) How this series got a second season and  is somehow getting a third season is beyond me. This show lacks anything that could be called plot, good setting, or strong characters. Even the music side to this show which is usually its strong point is pretty mediocre this season.
This season's plot
At first, the season started out ok (which is good for this series) mostly because it was not doing anything out of its reach and it seemed to know what it wanted to be. After that though they began adding subplots here and there, adding twists and betrayals, and at the end of the show it's difficult to even understand what even happened. Characters also remain static and uninteresting just making the show even less enjoyable than it was before. There are times when the anime tries to make its audience feel compassion or emotion but I never felt anything more than annoyance. The only reason nymphogear does not make my top 5 worst anime list is because it was actually ok in the beginning unlike the other series which were just trash from beginning to end. 

Top 5 best music

5. Kyoukai no Kanata

While not necessarily doing any favors for itself in the story department, Kyoukai no Kanata boasts a very impressive soundtrack. It has very good variety and atmospheric pieces which are crucial for this anime that deals with spirits and the unknown. The composer, Nanase Hikaru, did a great job with the music but of course there's also the opening theme and ending theme which, while not as epic or memorable as Shingeki no Kyojin's, are still great in their own right. Unfortunately, I have no sound clips from the OST but I do have this.
4. Psycho-pass

Basically just this. No explanation, just this.

3. Monogatari season 2

Monogatari cheats a bit by reusing the same BGMs from its previous seasons but mixes it up with great new opening and ending themes. Monogatari season 2 follows the "if it aint broke don't fix it" route and successfully. The BGMs remain extremely appropriate and well placed in the anime creating the correct atmosphere depending on the situation. While Monogatari season 2 offers nothing as iconic as Shingeki no Kyojin or Kill la Kill, it offers a solid soundtrack that enhances the show greatly. This is a pretty great opening theme.
2. Kill la Kill

From its BGMs to its opening and ending song, Kill la Kill comes packaged with a great soundtrack. Every song feels like it perfectly complements the scene that it plays in making the soundtrack that much more impressive. Furthermore, the BGMs never feel overused and thus never become stale-- something that happens a lot with most series. While not as impressive as say Kajiura Yuki's work, Sawano Hiroyuki (same guy who did the music for Shingeki no Kyojin) does a very impressive job with Kill la Kill. Kill la Kill only loses to Shingeki no Kyojin in terms of the opening and ending themes which Shingeki no Kyojin completely nails otherwise I have a difficult time determining which music I like better between the two. Here's one of my favorite songs from the OST.



1. Shingeki no Kyojin

If you have not heard of Shingeki no Kyojin, you have probably heard its opening song Guren no Yumiya or Jiyuu no Tsubasa.  Iconic does not even begin to describe what these two opening songs are. They are probably single handedly the most popular opening songs of any anime in recent memory and perhaps even of all time. The music is not just pleasing to the ear but also ties in with the themes of the anime. If having the most iconic openings was not enough, Shingeki no Kyojin also has its music composed by Sawano Hiroyuki (Sengoku no Basara, Guilty Crown, Ao no exorcist). Every song played in this anime was epic, exciting, and very complementary to the atmosphere that Shingeki no Kyojin had built up. The music from Shingeki no Kyojin is no doubt the best of the season so do yourself a favor if you haven't heard it and listen to it.



Unexpectedly good

3. Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Ilya

Talk about right out of left field. An anime spinoff with one of the side characters of Fate/Stay Night, Ilya, as the main character and as a magical girl. What sounds like a formula for disaster, taking the serious tone of Fate/Stay Night and replacing it with a magical girl show,  is much better than one would ever expect.
Fate/Kaleid Liner is able to balance its light hearted less serious side with its more serious plot oriented side. What results is a surprisingly engaging show that kept me wanting more. It's also worth mentioning that the animation for this show was superb with action scenes delivering more quality than even the original work, Fate/Stay Night.

2. Yuyushiki

Not another episodic moe blob about cute girls doing cute things right? Wrong. If you think Yuyushiki is like the rest you're in for a great surprise. I'll admit at first I had my doubts about the show at first glance but after watching it, I found it to be one of the best comedies this season and an overall enjoyable show. Where Yuyushiki differs from other moeblobs is not just simply that it's actually funny, but that the chemistry of all the characters works just so much better that even if the formula is similar, the outcome is completely different.
1. Free:

That show that we all thought would be bad but is actually good. When Free! was first announced there was a huge reaction from anime watchers and not necessarily a good one. The animators of Free!, Kyoto Animation, has a track record of doing moe shows with cute girls doing cute things not hot men doing sports.

 
THOSE BICEPS!!!
The first episode was a complete turn off for me but the second episode came, then the next and then the next. Suddenly I was looking forward to each episode and hating myself for doing so every step of the way. Free! is not just simply a fanservice anime for the ladies, it's a legitimate story about friendship, perseverance, and teamwork. What other sport/shounen series take hundreds of episodes to convey, Free! does in one short season. As much as everyone thought Free! would fail, it succeeded and actually turned out to be one of the better animes this season.





Top 5 most anticipated 
Space Dandy


Chuunibyou demo koi ga shitai Ren



Silver Spoon S2

Jojo's bizarre adventure: Stardust Crusaders




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