Top Twelve Anime of 2013

And so 2013 comes to an end. This has been a big year for me in blogging, what with it being my first year in blogging, and so a lot of these shows hold a possibly unreasonable place in my heart. Nah, I don’t think that’s actually true. I think we’ve just had a great year, and that blogging really has done what I always wanted it to – force me to apply a more critical eye to my media, which, contrary to popular belief, has actually made me appreciate my favorites even more.

And there sure were plenty of favorites! As I said, this has been an excellent year in anime, with tons of genres, styles, and themes represented by stylish, confident productions. If this is your first time checking the blog, let me introduce myself by saying I’m a horribly biased shithead who wouldn’t know a good action show or comedy if it comically murdered me. I like people, and I like ideas, and my list reflects that (if you’re looking for Attack on Titan or Maou-sama, you can find my reviews of those here and here). I like to think I’m pretty good at telling good writing or direction from bad, but everyone has different things that appeal to them, and so you can consider the numbering here a mushy compromise between favorite and best, though the list overall encompasses both. I’m not gonna give you synopses here – if you’re interested, each title links to that show’s description, but that’s not what you’re not paying me for. These comments will cover why I loved these shows. I was aiming for a top ten, but when compiling the list, the shows that immediately bubbled to mind ended up numbering twelve, and instead of arbitrarily cutting two off I’ve decided to honor them all. Also, I’m only counting shows that ended in 2013 here, so no Kill la Kill or other half-finished two-parters. So here it is: my top twelve anime series of 2013!

Continue reading

Fall 2013 – Week 12 in Review

Somewhat busy with family time at the moment (I got nice things!), but not so busy I can’t run down a tumultuous week in anime! Shows ending, shows immolating, some satisfying finales and some dramatic lead-ins to second cours. Presents for everyone this holiday season.

Continue reading

Monogatari S2 – Episode 25

So, uh, two episodes left? Apparently reports of the season’s ending have been vastly exaggerated. Not that I’m complaining – two more episodes of self-actualized Hanekawa, grumpy hero Kaiki, and crazy-ass Nadeko sounds good to me. Let’s roll!

Continue reading

Fall 2013 – Week 11 in Review

What can I even say about this week? Everything got ridiculous. Everything got climactic. Everything got cathartic. I’ve dropped everything I was iffy on, and all the shows I’ve enjoyed are pulling off thrilling finales. Let’s get slobbery.

Continue reading

Monogatari S2 – Episode 24

Enough dillydallying! Time to discover the secret of Nadeko’s closet!

Continue reading

Monogatari S2 – Episode 23

Have you guys seen this OP? Seriously guys. Holy shit this OP. Ermahgerd. I’m not gonna be able to say anything worth reading until we get through that beautiful ridiculous thing, so let’s just start the show.

Continue reading

Fall 2013 – Week 9 in Review

Nothing too out of the ordinary this week. The season has settled – the good shows are very consistent, the bad shows have been dropped, and those in the middle are 2-cours, hopefully building towards something noteworthy. Running it down…

Continue reading

Monogatari S2 – Episode 22

Last episode was great. Kaiki and Senjougohara are the best. I don’t want to jinx this episode by assigning any expectations to it. Let’s roll!

Continue reading

Fall 2013 – Week 8 in Review

It’s kind of pointless to talk about this week in anime without addressing the gorilla in the room, so let’s get that out of the way first.

Continue reading

Monogatari S2 – Episode 21

One last arc, with an apparent emphasis on two of the show’s most charismatic characters – Senjougahara and Kaiki. Well, if you count whatever Kaiki has as charisma. Maybe enigmatic, then? Though he’s actually fairly straightforward – in fact, it seems he makes a point of being the most straightforward in terms of goals and values. Compelling, then? I’ll go with compelling.

Anyway. If it were necessary to put up a brave face, I’d have plenty of material to work off of. Strong chosen characters. The fact that this arc is being given so many episodes. The fact that this is the last arc, considering how well Monogatari tends to finish its stories and seasons. The optimistic comments I’ve heard from people familiar with the source material. The fact that we’re now dealing with a problem that Isin has personally established as the end boss (even though that automatically means he’s going to screw with that expectation in some fundamental way).

But the thing is, there’s no need for any of that – I think Monogatari Season 2 is far and away the best set of stories and episodes this show has ever constructed. It’s always been distinctive, creative, and uncompromising, but I don’t think its various elements have ever come together to make such compelling and well-articulated stories. There have been moments, certainly – Kanbaru’s arc in the first season, a great deal of Senjougahara and Hanekawa’s material throughout, Kaiki’s show-stealing in Nise. And it’s played with very interesting concepts throughout, as… well, as I’ve talked about at length for close to a year now. But the comparison of S1 to S2 feels like the difference between a creative, passionate apprentice and a confident, practiced craftsman.

So yeah, courtesy of last week’s final push, Monogatari is now really Up There for me. Here’s to finishing strong.

Continue reading