Anime Favorites of 2011!

As I perused through other anime blogs, I noticed that one group was doing Anime Awards for 2011; considered throwing my hat in the bag. I decided against it primarily because I realized I didn’t want to do an award format so my favorites will suffice.  I could do a ranking system for my favorites but I’m not because if a show is a favorite, it means I will re-watch it. I also don’t think it would be fair to rank the series due to a number of them being from different genres so for me they aren’t comparable. So here they are in no particular order:

1. Steins;Gate, ok, well maybe I wasn’t truthful,this is my number 1 favorite of this year, 🙂  Heh.

I don’t think  I have encountered anyone that didn’t like this show. It was one of the few shows that I waited with bated breath for each episode to come out every week. The story was captivating and grabbed me from the start. I enjoyed making predictions about what was happening or what was going to happen, a few which were correct.  A Twitter follower, JLCoburn just today surmised it perfectly for me as “90% physics and 10% fantasy”.  This was a very intelligent show on the level of Serial Experiments Lain which is one of my all-time favorites. It takes you on a wild chase and explores time travel as well as reviving the famous John Titor who made claims on the internet to be a Time Traveler. It is not just about time travel, there is a romance brewing which is actually rather obvious but endearing just the same. And if you like maids, they have that in the series for good measure. I know how some of you love your maids! The main character, Rintarō Okabe, a kooky “mad scientist” with an outrageous laugh accidentally discovers time travel and has to deal with the consequences of his discovery.

2.  Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai (AnoHana)

Credit:http://inhearitplay.wordpress.com/

One of the most heart-wrenching anime series of this year. I did not expect to enjoy this show as much as I did. I found myself tearing up several times especially in the last episodes. Imagine as a child losing a friend and blaming yourself for the rest of your life, that is AnoHana. A group of friends handle the death of a close friend differently, alternately blaming each other and blaming themselves. A family unable to move forward after the loss of a child and ignoring the child they still have. Throw a dash of paranormal activity in and we have a story. If you haven’t seen it, I recommend it.

3. Mirai Nikki

This show is still on-going but since it started in 2011 and is absolutely entertaining, it gets on the list. The only downside to this show is Yuki; the wimpish main character who makes me want to smack him around a few times. The female lead, Yuno, is quite insane and is obsessed with Yuki. The premise of the series is that 12 individuals holding diaries must battle to the death to become some sort of God. The diaries take different forms such as cell phones (most of the holders have one), scroll, tape recorder, coloring book and the diaries predict the future. Yuki is an unwilling participant but that is not a shock based on how he is in life. Every character is suspicious and has ulterior motives; Yuki is the only one who does not seem to recognize. This is definitely not an anime for children with lots of blood and death; sometimes multiple deaths in each episode.

4. Beelzebub

I know this is not a favorite to many but I have a soft spot for funny babies and Baby Beel is hilarious although he doesn’t say a word. Demon is sent to Earth to take over the world and destroy it except demon is still a baby and needs a caregiver (there’s your story, sort of). The characters of this series aren’t exactly memorable outside of the fact that they are mostly idiots and love to kick any and every one’s ass (which might be a reason I love it). Well, there is a memorable character but it’s due to his creepy nature. That would be Alaindelon who has an unnatural attraction to Furuichi, unnatural as in it creeps the bejeebus out of Furichi and everyone else; not to mention he’s a demon and Furuichi is human and is also a bit of a perv and prefers females. Aoi Kunieda is also interesting as she is the most level-headed out of the bunch outside of Hildegarde, the demon maidservant for Beelzebub. This is also an ongoing series and things are heating up with Lord En, Beelzebub’s older brother, taking residence on Earth and his retainers going after Tatsumi Oga, Beelzebub’s contract holder.

5. Kamisama Dolls

Credit: fanpop.com

At first I wasn’t too sure about this show because I thought it was going to turn into one of those unnecessary fanservice shots shows. However, I was proven wrong. Yes, one of the characters has ridiculously large boobs but those faded in the background when the show picked up speed and started delving into psychological trauma. In a small village, a select group of people have control over the Kamisama Dolls, unwordly machines that have great power. These people have the title of Sekis. It is considered a privilege  to have the ability to control one but the main character, Kyōhei Kuga, doesn’t see it that way. In fact, he doesn’t see how being a Seki does not cause more harm than good. He gives up his life as a Seki and his sister Utao Kuga takes over. He wants to live a normal life but he soon finds out that this is not possible. I felt like there should have been a Season 2 for this series because it really started getting good towards the end.

Honorable Mention:

Hanasaku Iroha

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• Posted in: Anime ♦ Favorites
• Tagged: Anime, anohana, Beelzebub, Future Diary, hanasaku iroha, Kamisama Dolls, Mirai Nikki, Serial Experiments Lain, Steins;Gate, time travel