Fall 2011 Anime Season End List

Finally got around to doing this…

Fall 2011 wasn’t so great. My top two shows were holdovers from the previous season and perhaps the most hyped show, Fate/Zero, was good, but not mind blowing. If not great, this season will certainly be memorable. There was more Working!!, perhaps the most surprisingly good show of the year in Ben-To, perhaps the most rage inducing show of the year (for me anyways) in Mashiro-Iro Symphony and perhaps the most rage inducing protagonist in Ouma Shuu.

I’m Lady Tier

1. The IDOLM@STER - Well, let’s put it this way: I don’t expect many to agree with my decision, but right now, at this very moment, iM@S is certainly my favorite anime from this season. While the Chihaya and Haruka arcs might have been a bit too emo at times, it actually surprised me that they could work in that amount of depth into a show based on video game idols (and still be true to the source material no less!). While iM@S is certainly about cute girls doing cute things—and dancing, can’t forget the dancing—it has a lot more to offer if you’re willing to look. And for Bamco, it’s mission accomplished: I am now lady to dump some cash into iM@S merch.

Fabulous Max Tier

1. Mawaru Penguindrum - Penguindrum comes in as a solid “1a” in this list, but it should have more staying power in the long-term. Judging a show like this really does take a few years perspective to get it right. Not only will I need to eventually watch it again, but it takes a few years to truly appreciate what it tried to do. This show had a message and it delivered it elegantly. You can’t really know how something like that will affect you without perspective. Right now it seems like nothing could surpass Madoka Magica for show of the year, but with the correct perspective Penguindrum has a chance.

Must Watch Tier

3. Working’!! - I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of Working!!. As I will state in my comments for Ika Musume, one thing that comedies like this have to be wary of is becoming stale. What this show does successfully that Ika Musume failed at was keeping things fresh. While Working’!! certainly cashes in on the same exact formula as its predecessor, they managed to flesh out existing character dynamics while exploring less developed ones like Souma and Satou with Katanashi and Popular with just about everyone. The introduction of Yamada’s brother, the manager’s underlings and, to a lesser extent, Otou’s wife exemplify that they aren’t afraid to evolve old in-series tropes into new material. I also believed they spread the love to all the characters better this season; which should be particularly important for those that thought Inami—was annoying and—got too much screen time last time.
4. Ben-To - Biggest surprise? Certainly gets the nod for the most fun show of the season, if not the year. A ridiculous show with a ridiculous premise, it managed to keep things interesting for the full 12 episodes. I will never look at discount bento the same ever again.
5. Fate/Zero - If Rider wasn’t so awesome this show would’ve sucked pretty hard. I like the show just because it’s set in the Type-Moon universe, but it’s hard to point out many merits it has on its own. Also, blue-balling us for a few months is not cute at all. Was it just me or did the character art get pretty derpy near the end?

Pretty Good Tier

6. Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon - OK. I’ll admit it. I went and read up on background info for the show. It really helped trying to understand wtf was going on and once I did, I really started to enjoy t. The series really does feel like one huge masturbation session for the author, but I can appreciate many of the intricacies and details he put into the world and the characters. This is obviously not for everyone, but for fans overly complex and DEEP worlds, this should keep your interests piqued. Can’t wait for the second season!
7. Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing - While the show certainly suffers from QUALITY, I still found the story to be interesting and the characters engaging. Their recent forays into their new characters’ pasts was much needed and introducing characters from the first series was a boon for old fans. The strength of the show has always been the politics and character conflicts combined with action scenes, hopefully they can keep it up for the rest of the series. Also, just when I thought Gonzo was getting its shit together, they throw us a recep episode. Really, Gonzo? Really?
8. Tamayura ~Hitotose~ - Turned out to be a surprisingly good show that is putting up a surprisingly good effort in the sales department. While my faith in Satou Junichi wavered for the first couple of episodes, it was reconfirmed with the rest of the series. While it doesn’t fill the void Aria left behind, it’s an unfair expectation since Tamayura is trying to affect the viewer on a much more personal level. I wouldn’t blame you if you said the show was boring, but I’d also feel that you were missing out on a great thing.

Worth a Watch Tier

9. Shakugan no Shana III (Final) - I find it strange that this show hasn’t been getting more attention, good or bad. I’m guessing that at this point the haters or novel purists just don’t care enough anymore. Or maybe it’s because it’s at that sweet spot of not being good or bad enough to warrant attention. Whatever it is, I’m still find myself watching Shana regularly even if I must admit it isn’t all that amazing (although I think eps. 4 and 11, or something like that, were pretty awesome).
10. Shinryaku!? Ika Musume - The show wasn’t necessarily bad, but it somehow lost its luster since the first season. Perhaps the novelty wore off and the gags got tiresome. Still a fun show that I watched everyday it came out, but it paled in comparison to Working’!!.
11. Mashiro-Iro Symphony - The color of lovers - Yep. Still bitter. In the end it was a fine show and one of the few romance anime based on a VN that had an otherwise satisfying development and ending.
12. Guilty Crown - Shuu is one of the worst protagonists of all time. It’s certainly annoying to have such a weaksauce main character, but it’s tolerable if the circumstances explain it. However, all we know about Shoe, besides being a total beta, is he has some mysterious past with Gai and original Inori which is clouded by memory loss. Yeah. Memory loss. Sorry, but I can’t suspend my disbelief to that extent when it comes to such a shitty character. Well, let’s just hope the second half throws us a bone in that department because besides Shoe the show isn’t half bad and looks beautiful.
13. Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai - Well I knew Kodaka would remember Yozora was his childhood friend. I didn’t think I’d be so angry about it as it felt a little unfair to the rest of the harem. I guess it needed to happen since the character dynamics were getting stale near the end of the show. I still like Rika the best out of all the girls (followed closely by delicious Meat), but I know she’ll never win. In the end Haganai was a pretty mediocre show; it’s too bad the anime couldn’t duplicate the greatness of the manga adaptation. I’ll never forget Rika’s UNIVERSE scene.
14. Persona 4 The Animation - Ugh. I want to like this show so much, but I just can’t. Everything is moving along the tracks that the game laid out for it, but it’s not doing much to make itself interesting as an anime. The onset of QUALITY is not a good sign either.
15. Mirai Nikki - Meh. It’s a fine watch. Yanderes etc. Strangely, Yukiteru, as a feeble main character, didn’t annoy me all that much. I’ll stick with the manga though.
16. Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai!! - I got wrangled in by the first episode and proceeded to enjoy the rest of the show. The romance was awkward at times, but the show had a few going points (like the main character not being a pushover). I’m definitely looking forward to playing the game, but will not do so until my Wanko’s route is translated. She was easily my favorite girl and I hope that carries over into the game.
17. Hunter × Hunter - With the new season I might drop this one. It’s a fine show, but there’s only so many times you can rewatch the same material.
18. C³ -Cube×Cursed×Curious- - While aesthetically stunning and having my two favorite opening songs, the show suffered from poor execution. While I understand the basic concept behind the cursed items and the forces revolving around them, the plot was reduced to finding ways to have cute girls fight instead of having any meaningful progression. Perhaps it was just too early in source material, but I fear (derp) we won’t be getting another season to find out.

In the Queue Tier

1. Chihayafuru - I really regret not keeping up with this one. Tried to catch up over the Christmas break, but just couldn’t find the time.
2. UN-GO - Been meaning to pick this back up, but haven’t had the time. It had some potential, but what I watched of it (about 4 eps.) didn’t impress me too much.