The Best of Anime 2007 December 28
With the end of 2007 almost upon us, here’s a look back at some of the best series this year had to offer. Also included at the end are the final results to the Reader’s Choice Poll.
Disclaimer: These are purely my personal opinion based on the shows that I saw in the past year. You could argue that I’m ignoring some of the less popular but equally good shows like Seirei no Moribito or BACCANO!, but I unfortunately don’t have the time to watch everything and can only talk about what I’ve seen. For a show to even qualify for consideration, it had to have met the requirements outlined in the Reader’s Choice Poll. That means that series like CLANNAD, Shakugan no Shana II, and Gundam 00 are not up for awards this year - they’ll be saved for 2008. There is also a big spoiler in here for those of you who haven’t seen School Days and still plan to do so, but hopefully that’s not too many people.
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In terms of just action alone, there’s not a doubt in my mind that Gurren Lagann was the best this year. There were parts in the first half of the series just felt like one continuous exciting battle, and as the series went on, the scope just kept getting bigger and bigger, up to the point where they were fighting for the entire universe. I think that qualifies this series as being quite epic. I was also constantly impressed by how well choreographed the action sequences were, and this series had the animation quality to back it up. |
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Unlike last year, when Ouran was a clear favorite, this year had a ton of good comedy-oriented shows. This decision was made even harder by the fact that Jaalin is the resident comedy expert here, and since he’s gone missing, I had to do a lot of catching up. I ended up not finding SZS nearly as funny as some of my friends had made it out to be, and I’d say the same for Minami-ke (plus I was already familiar with parts of Minami-ke’s story from having read the manga). That brought me back to Lucky Star, which was the one comedy series I had actually watched as it was airing. Jaalin’s written extensively in the past about what makes Lucky Star so good, and I don’t have much to add to it other than the fact that I loved the Anisawa Meito scenes and all of Shiraishi Minoru’s EDs. Honorable Mentions: Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Minami-ke |
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I almost gave this to Romeo X Juliet, but after thinking about it, I couldn’t justify saying that it was the best because despite a good beginning and end, RXJ was pretty average overall. Kanon (and most likely Clannad for next year’s list), on the other hand, was a beautiful series that consistently tugged at my emotional strings, whether it was the sadness in the Makoto arc or the happy ending. And though I don’t treat this as a comedy series, Yuuichi’s sarcastic manner was a great source of humor and a reason why I liked his character so much as the main protagonist. |
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School Days definitely wasn’t the best series of the year, but it did deliver what I felt was the biggest shock with the way it ended. I think a lot of us who were watching the show suspected that there was potential for a bad ending based on what we knew about the game, but for them to actually animate one - and in such a graphic way - was quite shocking to say the least. Even after the now infamous delay, I wasn’t fully prepared for Kotonoha to cut off Makoto’s head or to cut open Sekai. Honorable Mentions: Gurren Lagann Episode 08, CODE GEASS Episode 22 |
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Surprise Hit is an admittedly very subjective category based on my own expectations before a series starts and how that series turns out. As I’ve mentioned before, I originally approached Gurren Lagann with some skepticism due largely to the Sunday morning time-slot it was given. And boy was I blown away, as were apparently many others. Gurren Lagann ended up raising the bar for its genre, and for a lot of folks, it became the best series this year. Honorable Mentions: School Days |
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It’s kind of unfair for me to give this to a feature film since weekly series tend to have to have to stretch their budgets to cover more ground, but Byousoku 5 Centimeter was so beautiful that I had to choose it. This was as close to technical perfection as you can come, from the way sunlight fell through windows to the use of all the gorgeous and detailed backgrounds to the way the sakura petals and snowflakes floated towards the ground. Simply a masterpiece. |
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I was very tempted to choose Manabi Straight for this because I think it’s a show with a good soundtrack that deserves more recognition. However, for me, a truly great soundtrack can make a good scene into a great one, and Iwasaki Taku’s score here did just that. One of the examples of this is “Libera me” from hell. I initially didn’t like its unorthodox combination of opera and rap, but it’s now my favorite song of the soundtrack, and it was the driving force behind what made the dream sequence of episode 26 so incredible. “raw! raw! fight the power!” |
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I honestly haven’t been listening to many anime-related songs in recent months because I’ve felt that openings and endings this year haven’t been quite as good or memorable as in years past, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t any. I chose Inori ~You Raise Me Up because it’s a beautiful ballad, and Lena Park has such a powerful voice. It’s technically a cover of a popular song, but it’s a big part of what made me like the first episode of Romeo X Juliet so much. Honorable Mentions: SunSet Swish - Mosaic Kakera, Rie fu - Tsukiakari |
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Although Gurren Lagann wins out in the pure action category, I felt CODE GEASS was more deserving to be called the Best in 2007 because it was a much more complete package with its storytelling and character development. Now, I’m not going to bash Gurren Lagann because I still think it’s a ton of fun to watch and a fantastic show - I just felt GEASS was better overall. And that’s not to say that GEASS is without flaws (some would argue that it relies too much on coincidences), but the show has so much to offer with all of its political intrigue, plot twists, and its large cast of characters. At the same time, it doesn’t get overly complicated or convoluted as I felt some others shows did, and like most Sunrise series, CODE GEASS an original story - that counts for a lot in my book in a time when it feels like practically everything is adapted from a game or manga. It’s been a long time since a show got me so excited from week to week and stayed that way for the entire series. |
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The Top 5: |
And so, as 2007 comes to a close, I can say for sure that it’s been another exciting year for anime. Truthfully though, I’m already looking forward to 2008 (the Winter Preview will be coming in the next few days). If Macross F’s first episode is any indicator, and with the CODE GEASS and Haruhi sequels coming, it should be another great year.
nutsy at 5:07 am on December 28th, 2007
first!!!
code geass got the reader’s choice vote?
man…i was sure it would be gurren lagann…oh well…
ASDAS at 5:12 am on December 28th, 2007
i as well would have liked Gurren to be reader’s choice
meh, cant win them all
geass ftw at 5:15 am on December 28th, 2007
GEASS PWNS ALL
Stripey at 5:20 am on December 28th, 2007
Since I’m one of the 986, I fully endorse your choice of best anime. Can’t wait for the CG sequel indeed. Onward to 2008!
Busaiku at 5:21 am on December 28th, 2007
Baccano! fared better than I though it would in the reader’s poll (it was my choice as well).
It’s been slowly gaining popularity after it finished, for some reason or another.
Gravmech at 5:24 am on December 28th, 2007
Woohoo! Lelouch pwns Simon & Light…
Jay at 5:24 am on December 28th, 2007
Gurren Lagann is a show that only 13 year olds view as “greatness”. i didn’t say it was a bad show, but it was no more than average. the show lacks depth, and story. its far to cliche in being “cool” and i got rather bored with it as i watched. I expected it to do very well in this poll, because when i saw a previous poll labeled something like “Have you ever kissed someone of the opposite sex”, and 80% of you said “no” i assumed that the same crowd would go nuts over GL. I personally voted GEASS, but Darker Than Black and Baccano! held a spot in my heart. I’m glad that Gurren Lagann did not win.
OropherZero at 5:27 am on December 28th, 2007
good stuff Omni, I dug most of them, except I would have given best song to “Euphoric Field” english version from ef, just had more impact for me than Lena Park’s “You Raise Me Up” XD
Meh at 5:31 am on December 28th, 2007
I honestly don’t see the fascination of Gurren Lagann. I gave it a lot more time(10 full episodes of no fast-forwarding) than the usual anime that I don’t particularly like, because of its popularity. And still felt no urge to keep watching…
And this isn’t because I dislike the genre either. I like comedy and action. I just didn’t care for the ones in Gurren Lagann.
Code Geass, on the other hand, is pure awesomeness.
Shinn Agami at 5:58 am on December 28th, 2007
Great post OMNI, especially on 5cm. Just a bit of a warning, saw this posted on 4chan a few minutes ago, so you might get a lot of troll posts, just be prepared.
Hikarihoshi at 5:59 am on December 28th, 2007
Cool! A lot of the animes I watched are up there! ^^
Nice list! Can’t wait for Anime of 2008! =D
Heero at 6:00 am on December 28th, 2007
Holy Shit i should finsih gurren laggan so it’s awsome
mutio at 6:02 am on December 28th, 2007
Code Geass is also my no.1 as it had such a dramatic and good story I’ve never experienced before in a anime (some shows can catch up to it with story like Eureka Seven or Last Exile in my opinion, but Code Geass rulz all the way here).
As for comedy I totaly agree, Lucky Star is absolutely awesome and, what I also like about this show, picks up the Otaku’s way of life. I admit though, Minami-ke is definitely also very funny, it just has a different charm (more a slice of life comedy whereas I felt Lucky Star often as satire).
Gurren Lagan I watched since so many were positive on it, but it didn’t feel that great to me. Especialy for the music I totaly disagree, it’s just not my taste at all.
For me no.1 here where I can listen to every track are the Aria soundtracks (and fav song the single from ~Arietta~).
Ah and then School Days, as someone who knows the game I just disliked that show. No to mention that I was pissed off by all the fuss people made and still are making about it.
The ending was tasteless and totaly overdone, when people are blinded by such stupid stuff it can’t be helped.
Romance was a difficult one for me, ef was on the same lenght as Kanon, in the end I gave Kanon the win since of it’s visual novel bonus
I’d have voted for Clannad since I like this series till now more than Kanon and ef. Romeo and Juliet is also a great show, but then again, not my taste at all.
Finaly for my fav song, “Nana iro no Sora wo” from the Aria OVA (it’s the op song) is so beautiful and relaxing that I can hear to it again and again. I also like “Colors” (first op of Code Geass) a lot.
As for best soundtrack I didn’t get my hands on many from the new series. Kanon is one I’ll definitely rank high (the game OST), the rest was so so for me. The point is, a lot of songs and bgms are nice in this or that anime scene, but a song is really good to me when I can listen to it and enjoy it without thinking about the anime it was written for. And from that point of view, there aren’t many soundtracks out which I can listen to. Aria is my absolutely favourite till now (both OSTs).
Void at 6:08 am on December 28th, 2007
Geass owns- we all know that
I generally agree with the rankings, though i still i think ef- a tale of memories deserves AT LEAST a honorable mention in “best animation” cathegory.
Alex at 6:08 am on December 28th, 2007
Wait a sec…. Lucky Star as best comedy??? ha ha ha
That’s gonna make me laugh for days LOL
anne at 6:13 am on December 28th, 2007
I really liked Code Geass, but it seriously fell apart towards the end and it’s obvious the thing was rewritten to make another season. Now it’s full of Sunrise writers and is obviously pandering to fans. I guess some can ignore the flaws in it because it was new and fresh, if Gundam meets Death Note is new and fresh I guess. The sub par lack of an ending also to me makes it so far from complete there is no way it should even be in the top 5 best anime of 2007. Good show? Yes, but Gurren Lagann, Heroic Age, Denno Coil, Toward the Terra and others were much better.
keywin at 6:20 am on December 28th, 2007
WELL DONE JOSH GROBAN with song of the year!! :p
Kit-Tsukasa at 6:27 am on December 28th, 2007
I think Myself; Yourself deserves some place on there for best romance/drama, biggest shock, best OST, or at least surprise hit.
Also what happened to best horror
Jigoku Shoujo Futakomori or Higurashi Kai?
Speaking of which, Higurashi Kai should get something for biggest shock (aka announcement of 3rd season) considering the way it ended.
As for best song, definetely Inori ~You Raise Me Up~ as one of them, others for me would have been Naraku no Hana and Tear’s Infection. Either way good choice for Inori.
Whooopsies at 6:28 am on December 28th, 2007
Gurren Lagann Ftw.
Blastphemy at 6:31 am on December 28th, 2007
Code Geass really OWNS them all… Haha…