Another year passes. Man, it’s hard to believe I’m already in to my 9th year of being an otaku as well as my 4th year of blogging. Time sure flies. I’m now well over 1500 posts with nearly 16k comments, and it’s thanks to everyone’s support that I’ve gotten so far.

This year was marked by an increased number of good shows, but surprisingly, it wasn’t as “happening” as last year. To put it in another way, while the average increased, the top end of the bell curve wasn’t as high as last year. Nevertheless, this year still had its moments.

My choices here aren’t particularly graded using a strict measure, it’s more of an overall rating of shows of this year that I greatly enjoyed in one way or another, so please view it as that rather than a solid indicator of quality.

Of course, being a mere mortal with a real life outside of the Internet, I will inevitably miss a few gems here and there, so feel free to voice up any other shows that you, my dear reader, believe I should have watched and not missed for this year.

With that said, here’s the list.

14. Spice and Wolf

Mmm… economics animu. Well, actually calling “fox god animu” would suit it better because, seriously, everyone only watched it for the bundle of furriness that is Horo.

13. Lucky Star OVA

Kagamiku! Tsunderella! Cherry-dog! Christmas-cake Nanako! Kagamiku! Oh wait, already said that.

Anyways, the Lucky Star OVA was awesome because we all missed the cast of Lucky Star so badly, especially in this KeyAni-dominated year. Not to say that’s a bad thing but we all missed the light-heartedness. Here’s to hoping for another extension or a spiritual successor of the awesomeness that was Lucky Star.

12. Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu

Honestly, Noto-sama as a closet otaku ojou-sama? I’m sold.

While NHnH seemed like it’ll be a one-trick pony, it had a surprisingly coherent plot and good character development, characterized by a few choice episodes. That, and Mika is fucking jailbait.

11. Itazura na Kiss

The Nana Mizuki show of the year. Honestly after last year’s Tokyo Marble Chocolate, I realize Nana’s niche is the slightly naive yet earnest young adult women where she really can be her character. (I suspect it’s because she seems to draw it from her own experiences)

Itazura na Kiss was mainly enjoyable because of that and we even got a full season of Nana Mizuki from it. I realize a lot of people didn’t like the show’s pacing, but it was quite fine to me considering how they were putting in nearly 10 years of story in to 25 episodes.

10. Natsume Yuujinchou

Natsume Yuujinchou wasn’t really in my fielding range until someone IRL recommended it enthusiastically and I tried it out. Oh boy I sure got hooked on it. With tinges of Mushishi and a very likable cast (moe moe fox shouta!) I just couldn’t stop watching it. So glad to hear there’s a second season to it too, premiering next month.

9. Detroit Metal City

GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC! GO TO DMC!

8. Kurenai

kurenai, characterized by the moe-moe bundle that is Murasaki and the tight writing and direction by Kou Matsuo, really deserves mention for this year. The ending was kinda unexpected, but it only served to enhance the “deep”-ness of the story.

7. Strike Witches

One of the surprises this year, I initially balked at the premise of SW’s no-pantsu flying mecha musume. I mean, for god’s sake, the fanservice is just so fucking blatant. Despite that, and to my own pride, I finally watched it in a batch once it was finished and I was so hooked I finished it in two sittings.

SW’s appeal, once you get over the lack of proper lower body wear, lies in the light-heartedness and optimism of the characters. Gonzo also managed to give equal exposure to every one in the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, and the pacing meant that the show wasn’t too “draggy” unlike the other mecha musume anime Sky Girls (still struggling to finish it). The infamous pantsu-stealing episode also nearly killed me from all the laughing I did.

So, despite my initial hatred of the series, it’s really surprising how things can change, and now SW’s in my Pick of 2008 list. Well, if you can’t win ‘em, join ‘em. :P

6. CLANNAD

Gym-shorts Kyou! Killer violin Kotomi! Tomoyo Raptor Kick! “Why can’t I call you onii-san, onii-san?” Mei! Sanae Rainbow Bread! Dictionary attack! Starfish girl! Nagisa x Ryou!

Yeah, I could probably go on and on, but suffice to say, CLANNAD was pretty damn enjoyable despite being the third KeyAni outing in the past 4 years.

5. Code Geass R2

Despite the illogical plot, despite all the mindfucking, despite all the copying from Evangelion, it’s undeniable that Code Geass R2 was the most entertaining show this year, singlehandedly. Being surprised after every mind-fucking episode and subsequently reading the reactions from other fans really drew out the worst from me. Never had I had so much fun with post titles, ha ha.

Despite all that, the ending was surprisingly epic and half redeemed the series for me. Lelouch BAWWWWWWW!!!! Still, I don’t think I can rewatch the series again if for the lack of Geass Sundays. That was practically 75% of the reason I persevered on till the end.

4. Ga Rei Zero

Can’t mention this year w/o talking about the yuri croquette that is Ga-Rei Zero. First, it rickrolled us all by presenting a totally unrelated cast for the promos and the first episode, only to kill ‘em all by the end of it. Only then it went for the real deal, the untold past story of Kagura and Yomi from the original manga, justifying the “Zero” part of its name. It also gave me another reason to like Pocky, XD.

Ga-Rei Zero is also notable for the crazy inventory of weapons, ranging from the gun-katanas, an iron, a boiler and the bloody weaponized wheelchair. Oh and not to forget the bike-fu from Natsuki in episode 1 too. That was awesome.

3. Kannagi

Kannagi oh Kannagi. This quirky comedy show about a bunch of crazy shrine maidens by the much-talked about Yamamoto Yutaka sure delivered the laughs. The karaoke episode also made its mark on me. Oh god Takako made me shat bricks.

While the show was generally light-hearted, Kannagi veered in to serious “self-existential” drama for its final arc, proving Yamakan’s directing chops isn’t limited just making people laugh. This is one show I wouldn’t mind seeing more of in the future.

2. Macross Frontier

Ah, Macross Frontier, my first foray in to the world of Intergalactic Song Wars and Variable Fighters. The show started off a strong note, but really tapered down towards the end, ending with an non-ending kind of ending.

Despite that, the love triangle was still pretty epic towards the end, and the songs of the show are inevitably the best I’ve heard this year. The songs were the biggest redeeming factor for the show as things went rather downhill. God bless Yoko Kanno \o/. I still wish there was a solid ending though…

1. true tears

The only show this year that was so good that I made a rare and passionate opinion post about it. P.A. Works first independent work, it was initially expected to be another eroge adaptation, but quickly turned out to be something much more different.

true tears took everyone by surprise by the clean, crisp visuals, leading P.A. Works to be given the moniker of the second KyoAni. Director Junji Nishimura also kept the story and character development really engaging, coupled with how he kept everyone guessing about the final resolution until the very end, provided weeks of debates amongst fans as to who would end up with whom.

Movie of the year: Evangelion 1.01 You are (not) alone

It was technically released last year, but Evangelion 1.01 is more of a 2008 show for me since the DVD (which I proudly bought) came out this year and even made it in to local shores, which was a real surprise for me.

While many critized it for being another attempt by Gainax to cash in on the franchise, it’s undeniable the show has gotten a much needed facelift from it’s original 1995 incarnation. The action cinematography culminating in the sniping of Angel Ramiel was simply awesome.

Sure it might be another milking of the fans, but Anno Hideaki is delivering the goods here too. Looking forward to 2.0 in 2009. Asuka \o/!

And that wraps up my first 2008 in Review post. There’s another one coming up after this, where I’ll be talking about the other noteworthy things that happened this year.

©2009 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.

First off, Collaboration Album Message is, as its name states, a collaboration album between famous video game music composers and doujin singers. I’ve been gleefully waiting for it since I heard Haruka Shimotsuki is collaborating with Motoi Sakuraba for the first track, 「image～心像～」, and oh boy I am not disappointed.

「image～心像～」 just sounds so calming and epic at the same time it’s truly a dream pairing between two of my favourite music producers presently. The rest of the album seems pretty standard fair to me, but I have been only looping image and the other tracks from Yuri-mu Croquette, so I may not have judged them fairly.

This brings me to the other album, Ga-Rei Zero image album, Yuri-mu Croquette. I’ve been anticipating this album solely for the Yousei Teikoku song, 霊喰い, played during the heart-wrenching battle between Yomi and Mei. God I can’t stop looping it. It’s been a while since I’ve had my fix of Yousei Teikoku and 霊喰い really satisfies that. The three songs, AI, if, Reincarnation are also good too, and I believe the last track is the one used in the final episode where Kagura kills Yomi. Can’t help but to BAWWWWWWW whenever I hear those songs.

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BAWWWWWWWWWWWWW YOMI!!!!! T_T

The sad thing about prequels is that we already know what’s going to happen and we can’t do shit about it. God I hate that bloody shota.

The end of the episode also jumps 2 years later, just to tease us, and we get to see Fujiko, the new supervisor as well as Ga-Rei’s hero, Kensuke Nimura finally. Recycled Kazuki’s seiyuu for him, hurr hurr. Also shat bricks to find out that Kiri and Jinguji didn’t die. Thought they were dead for sure. Kiri even has amnesia to accompany her survival!

Wonder if this will lead to a Ga-Rei anime?

©2009 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Ga-Rei Zero is already the winner of “Most Unorthodox Weapons Used” this year. First we had a motorbike, then a suitcase, drill hands, an iron, a FREAKING boiler and now, just to top things off, a weaponized wheelchair. Gotta admit, we all should’ve seen it coming, eh?

Anyways, Yomi continues on her rampage, and now she’s fully in the evil-but-goddamn-awesome Yomi mode, so the casualties keep piling up. Practically the whole Supernatural Disaster Prevention Agency is gone now, with only Iwahata, one Naboo, Noriyuki and Kagura left. Kagura’s father also passes away this episode, leaving Byakuei with her at the end of the episode.

Next week, Yomi vs Kagura. Oh dear god I hope it’ll be epic.

©2009 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Kazuki dies painfully in the hands of Yomi. God damn, while I don’t condone evil Yomi, but I have to admit she is seriously badass in this mode. Poor Noriyuki too, seeing his best friend getting killed by the love of his love while she’s begging him to kill her all the while. No wonder he ran away after this (in the manga).

Producers are also really creative at saving the budget too. This was practically episode 2 except for different point of views. Of course, Kagura isn’t dead yet. Her father intervened in the nick of time.

Next week, Ranguren vs Byakuei battle. I sure hope they saved up their budget for that fight.

©2009 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Evil Yomi is born finally. God, I really want to wring the neck of that detestable shota, especially after what he did to Yomi in this episode…

The producers are really not letting up any chance for fanservice aren’t they?

That being said, the circumstances of Yomi’s transformation was not what I expected. I’d thought it would’ve been a lot more dramatic… possibly involving a lot more killing/blood/gore, so seeing her getting “approached” at her most weakest moment, both physically and mentally, was kinda anti-climatic for me. But then again, it’s more logical this way I guess, and it does promise a higher chance of success :P.

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Fuck yeah, shit starts hitting the fan this episode! About damn time we get some Yomi action already.

Yomi gets fucked over by Mei and her father in the succession ceremony, but she can’t do anything about it. Mei takes Nue away from Yomi, rendering her weaponless. Kagura decides to move out from the Isoyama house.

Yomi responds to a call from the Ministry and borrows Kagura’s Micheal to use. She and Mei have a showdown and Yomi eventually prevails because Mei’s Sesshouseki proves too much for her. God, Yousei Teikoku insert song during this fight scene made me hard, oh yeah! Seriously’s it’s been too damn long since their last work. I so didn’t expect to hear yui when Yomi and Mei started fighting so I was like “LOL IS THAT SUM YOUSEI TEIKOKU.” Glad I was proven right. Can’t wait for 霊喰い single oh yeah.

Sadly though, Yomi gets pwned by that fucking shorta Mitogawa after she gets away. God I kinda hate that bloody brat now.

Nuuuuoooooooooooooo Yomi!!!!!!

BTW, I wonder if the episode 1 team will make anymore appearances. The grunt sergeant that appeared in episode 1 actually had lines in this one.

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Kagura cries.

Mei lives.

Yomi kisses.

Also, lol cameo.

Shit had better start hitting up the fan next week coz I don’t think I take more of Emomiya.

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Pretty much another bridge episode, but with quite a bit more action in it. I am seriously impressed at the rate that Ga-Rei Zero is keeping up with making all the fighting scenes fluid and impressively choreographed. If there’s one thing this show doesn’t lack, it’s style and it’s undeniable after seeing Mei’s spear serving dual-purpose as a parasol as well, XD.

Speaking of Mei… damn, she sure got killed really fast. That butterfly-controlling shota is a real shinigami. Everyone he meets or approaches surely dies sooner or later. I was expecting Mei to stick around and provide some psycho-bitch aspect to the show, but hell, she got knocked off just one episode after being introduced? Bet she’ll return as a evil spirit infused with the sesshouseki just like Yomi did.

Kagura gets the bulk of the focus this episode and it continues to deal with her less-than-amicable relationship with her father (not surprising since the only things he seems to say are “Get stronger, Kagura.” or “You must uphold our responsibilities.” bla bla bla) as well as her naivete and inability to kill spirits that have taken over humans or are humanoid in form, although funnily she seems okay with cutting imitations of either herself or Yomi, ahahaha. One thing’s for sure, she’s really got some real skills of her own with the sword and it shows in this episode, although not exactly as good as Yomi’s skills are yet.

Wonder what’s gonna happen next episode. The lack of preview footage really does a good job at making me get the latest episode as soon as it comes out. Oh I’d like to mention that the guy who’s providing all the <40MB raws (that seems to be ripped from Nico or somewhere) is doing a really good job at those. Hell, it even edges Horrible Raws in terms of quality, not discounting the small resolution.

©2009 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.

This episode a breather episode, and instead of Kagura x Yomi, we’re treated to Yomi x Noriyuki, who are both engaged to each other, in case people haven’t noticed yet. So far they’ve been neglecting this dynamic, so this episode is well-due for it.

The setup is pretty much generic, where Kagura worries about both of their relationship since they keep fighting with each other, thus tries to set up a plan to make then both get closer together. As with most setups of this kind, much hilarity ensues as their plan involves getting Nikaidou (poor girl) laying the moves on Noriyuki while hoping Yomi will get jealous. Of course things backfire, but thanks to Kagura’s tears, the day is saved, heh.

Of course, we all know that when a couple fights over trivial things all the time, it’s actually a sign that they’re really close to each other instead, so I wouldn’t be worrying about the both of them. Yomi also inherits a kimono belonging to her father’s wife, which turns out to be the same outfit she wears in the manga that happens later on. More links to the main story, heh.

Meanwhile, plot development isn’t abandoned too with a new character, Isoyama Mei, is introduced. As her surname suggests, she’s Yomi’s cousin, born from her father’s brother, who opposes Yomi getting engaged to Noriyuki and tries to suggest Mei for the engagement instead, since he doesn’t want Yomi, as an outsider, to carry on the Isoyama lineage. While it seems Mei doesn’t care about being the heiress of the lineage, she is concealing a “darker” side to herself and as hinted in the OP sequence, most probably will be the antagonist character for this series.

One thing I gotta admit, this show seriously has character designs for females that push every moe-button in myself. If Mei wasn’t so “dark”, I think I would be moe for her too.

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