Image provided by Danbooru
2015 Anime Season has arrived and I’m late in the party because of holy week, as well as busy moving to another place again so I have no time blogging shows that are aired recently. But first, I have to close the 2014 Anime Season starting with this post.
Gotta say that 2014 didn’t fared much for the mecha anime genre, and only a few anime series stood out from the rest of the pack. Not only that, but some series got so over-hyped that few of them crashed and burned. Speaking of those over-hyped series, I might post about it in the future!
Anyways, here’s some of my pick for 2014 and it’s been 5 years since I started blogging anime. Most of my earlier posts were terrible and I still haven’t finished reading B Gata H Kei. Without further ado, here’s my list…
01. (Not the) Best Transition Anime in 2014…
– Buddy Complex (Winner)
Normally, I would pick Nisekoi as the best anime on this category. However, I can’t watch it because a certain voice actor is included in the cast. Anyways, this is a tough one as two mecha shows as I having problems selecting which mecha anime series is the most decent of all.
In the end, I pick Buddy Complex over Nobunaga: The Fool because despite having 12 episodes in Winter and 2 episodes in Fall, this Sunrise mecha show has a likable protagonist and a satisfying conclusion to its abridged story. It would be nice if Buddy Complex had another 12 episodes instead of 2 where the story gives more insight about Hina’s true origins and the Buddy System.
But hey, this series is better than having Nobunaga being a fool of himself, as well as having a disappointing antagonist like King Arthur and his selfish dream of reviving his beloved over ruling both worlds.
02. Best Spring Anime in 2014…
– No Game No Life (Winner)
– Hitsugi No Chaika (Runner-up)
There’s no doubt that No Game No Life is one of the best Spring 2014 anime ever! From having interesting characters to eye-popping visuals made by Madhouse, this series sure put some faith onto Media Factory’s MF Bunko J label as it’s being hit by either average or shitty adaptations lately.
Meanwhile, Hitsugi No Chaika is a good anime series from BONES and even though it was rushed a bit by having 22 episodes, they did a good job on adapting Ichiro Sakaki’s light novel. From having great characters such as Chaika Trabant and such, it’s a great improvement over Scrapped Princess.
03. Best Summer Anime in 2014…
– Hanayamata (Winner)
– Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun (Runner-up)
I have to consider Hanayamata as the best Summer anime series is because not only has great visuals (again, courtesy of Madhouse) for a Manga Time Kirara adaptation, but it shows the growth of the main quintet which includes Naru as she’s more open than before. Apart from that, Hanayamata has some great yosakoi dance scenes that are not animated by CGI, so take a note of that Ordet!
On the other hand, Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun is a great comedy anime series by Dogakobo. It has a great and diverse cast of characters that makes you wanna laugh at their antics, especially when it has Chiyo Sakura conveying her feelings (and failing) Umetaro Nozaki.
04. Best Fall Anime in 2014…
– Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso (Winner)
– Parasyte -the maxim- and Log Horizon 2 (Co Runners-up)
For Fall 2014, I’d picked Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso as the clear winner because A-1 Pictures done a tremendous job of adapting the manga from the first up to the last chapter. Combine classical music with stunning visuals, this series leaves a lasting impression despite having the most depressing ending ever!
Meanwhile, there’s something I dislike upon watching both runners-up. One example is the original soundtrack from Parasyte -the maxim- where it has some dubstep music, the other is the animation quality for Log Horizon 2 as it was made by Studio DEEN. Despite of those problems, both Parasyte -the maxim- and Log Horizon 2 did well during Fall 2014.
05. Best Winter Anime in 2014…
– Death Parade (Winner)
– Yuri Kuma Arashi (Runner-up)
Hands down, Death Parade is the best Winter 2014 anime series and Madhouse exceeded the viewers expectations. Heck, it sure lived up the hype from beginning till end!
Meanwhile, Yuri Kuma Arashi did pretty darn well coming from Kunihiko Ikuhara and SILVER LINK. Apart from its avant-garde like visuals, Yuri Kuma Arashi started slow and somewhat confusing at first. However, the series soon build up to its climax and it ended spectacularly just like any Ikuhara anime series.
06. Most improved anime sequel in 2014…
– Sword Art Online II (Winner)
– Love Live! School Idol Project Season 2 (Runner-up)
Gotta say that after a disappointing first season (especially the Fairy Dance arc), Sword Art Online II got better because of Asuna being the main character in the Mother’s Rosario arc.
It’s a good story where Asuna is the main focus instead of Kirito, where he saved countless lives plus Shino Asada from being murdered during the Phantom Bullet arc. Not only that, but Asuna got stronger by reconciling with her estranged mother as well as befriending Yuuki Konno, who wanted to be remembered for doing amazing things in her short life.
The second season of Love Live! School Idol Project just got better, especially μ’s where they finished the second season with the bang by winning the Love Live! competition. While there would be a movie coming up to wrap up the story, I felt grateful that Honoka and the gang performed at their best and winning it!
07. Most overlooked anime in 2014…
– Akatsuki no Yona (Winner)
– Selector Infected/Spread WIXOSS (Runner-up)
Akatsuki no Yona is mostly overlooked simply because the setting is based on ancient Korea. But despite its setting, I saw it as fairly-written for a shoujo manga adaptation where Yona faced several hardships in order to become worthy of leading her band of dragon warriors as well as protecting Hak. Now if only there’s another season for this…
WIXOSS meanwhile is a series that needs more love as it’s not just a card game for girls, it’s card games with Mari Okada’s dose of depraving girls and destroying their hopes and dreams just like Madoka Magica! While the anime adaptation of Takara Tomy’s card game did good, the original WIXOSS game’s future is still uncertain.
08. Worst anime series in 2014…
– Glasslip (Winner)
– Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei and Kantai Collection (Co Runners-up)
I’m not gonna explain why Blade and Soul is a bad anime. After all, Gonzo is just recovering themselves at the moment!
Anyway, ever since I’ve watched this P.A.Works anime during Summer 2014, Glasslip has the potential to be great just like Hanasaku Iroha and TARI TARI. But, I found out the hard way that Glasslip couldn’t resolve the overall story, the characters’ progression and relationship with each other. Thus, the ending was just bad that it left me hanging.
Meanwhile, Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei and Kantai Collection are so over-hyped that it turned out worse, especially when it comes to the main characters. For Mahouka, you have unbeatable Tatsuya being being pampered by an annoying sister as well as putting technical bullshit that normal viewers wouldn’t understand. For KanColle, you have Fubuki and her fellow fleet girls being supported by the unseen admiral during Operation MI, using real money to win the battle so that he could marry Fubuki-chan and celebrate.
While I don’t want both shows to have another season since they’re terrible, it seems that Mahouka and KanColle will have a sequel in the future. And also, I might discuss both of them in the next post where I tackle over-hyped anime!
09. “So bad, it’s good!” anime series in 2014…
– Cross Ange: Tenshi to Ryu no Rondo (Winner)
– Ore, Twintails ni Narimasu. (Runner-up)
While I’m gonna add Rail Wars! in this category, it seems that it wasn’t bad enough so I replace it with Ore, Twintails ni Narimasu. instead because it’s all about twin-tails mixed with Super Sentai (as well as bad animation done by Production IMS).
Anyways, Cross Ange is the clear winner on this category as it surpasses Valvrave in terms of ridiculousness. Not only that, but it had more story development and closure. While it suffered some bad animation like OreTwi and not to mention having a lecherous antagonist like Embryo, at least Cross Ange is far better than Aldnoah.Zero.
10. Best overall anime series in 2014…
– SHIROBAKO (Winner)
Finally, I’m gonna end this post with the overall winner for 2014 Anime Season. While there are a few good anime series to pick as a winner like Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso and Death Parade, I chose SHIROBAKO for a good number of reasons.
First, it’s entertaining and informative about the inner-workings of the anime industry, complete with shout-outs and a little bit of imagination. And second, Tsutomu Mizushima did a great job of turning P.A.Works around with this series as it’s one of the best they produced after Glasslip. I recommend to watch SHIROBAKO because it’ll help you a lot!
And with that, it’s time to say good-bye to 2014! You’ll sure be missed 2014, and I welcome you the 2015 Anime Season!
The Anime Rambler - By Benigmatica 